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The 
Printer's  Dictionary 

of  Technical  Terms 

A  Handbook  of 

Defifiitiotis  and  Information  about 

Processes  of  Printing 

With  a  brief  Glossary  of  Terms 
used  in  Book  Binding 


Compiled  by 

A.  A.  Stewart 

Instructor  in  the  School  of  Printing 
North  End  Union 


Boston,  Massachusetts 

Published  by  the  School  of  Printing 

North  End  Union 

I912 


Copyright,  19 1 2,  by 
Alexander  A.  Stewart 


^^ 


Foreword 

n^'HE  following  pages  have  been  in  course  of 
preparation  for  several  years.  Originally  some 
of  the  matter  was  intended  solely  as  "copy"  for 
practice  in  type-setting  by  pupils  in  the  School  of 
Printing;  later  it  was  arranged,  roughly,  into  the 
form  of  a  brief  glossary,  and  then,  as  its  value  for 
practice-work,  instruction,  and  general  trade  infor- 
mation became  apparent,  it  was  gradually  put  into 
the  form  in  which  it  now  appears. 

The  book  is  the  product  of  some  seventy-five  or 
eighty  young  printers,  who  have  left  on  its  pages  the 
impress  of  their  first  struggles  to  attain  a  mastery  of 
their  chosen  vocation.  Every  page  represents  hours 
of  patient,  earnest  work  on  the  part  of  pupils  who 
were  receiving  their  first  lessons  in  putting  hastily 
prepared  copy  into  typographic  form.  In  its  com- 
pilation no  especial  researches  have  been  under- 
taken, reliance  being  mainly  on  the  ordinary  sources 
of  information,  i.  e.,  trade  journals,  technical  works, 
and  general  dictionaries  and  encyclopedias,  and  on 
personal  experience  and  observation. 

Considering  the  manner  in  which  it  has  been  pro- 
duced, no  apology  need  be  offered  for  its  obvious 
defects  and  shortcomings.  The  aim  has  been  to  com- 
pile rudimentary  information  for  the  young  printer, 
and  no  attempt  has  been  made  to  cover  the  sub- 
jects exhaustively  or  to  make  a  cyclopedia  of  com- 
plete information. 


248580 


Tlie  Compositor's  Stick 


Methods  of  Printing 

PRINTING  is  the  art,  act,  or  process 
of  producing  impressions  for  literary, 
graphic,  or  decorative  purposes.  This 
may  inckide  many  processes  which  are  not 
commonly  associated  with  the  term,  like 
moulding,  coining,  stamping,  embossing,  or 
the  methods  used  in  making  calico,  wall- 
paper, decorated  pottery,  etc.,  as  well  as  in 
making  photographs.  The  processes  here 
considered  are  those  wherein  ink  is  applied 
to  the  surface  from  which  it  is  intended  to 
print  and  transferred  by  impression  to  paper, 
cardboard,  or  other  material. 

In  this  sense  there  are  various  methods 
employed,  each  a  separate  art,  distinct  in 
theory,  process,  and  application.  These  are 
known  as  : 

The  Relief  Method,  the  chief  part  of  which 
is  typography,  or  printing  from  types.  This 
includes  also  wood  blocks  and  metal  plates 
engraved  in  high  relief,  like  wood-cuts,  zinc 
etchings,  and  halftone  engravings. 

The  Intaglio  Method,  by  which  the  print- 
ing is  done  from  polished  plates  having  the 
lines  cut  in  the  surface  and  filled  with  ink. 


Methods  of  Printing 


This  method  includes  copperplate  and  steel- 
plate  engraving,  copperplate  etching,  drj'- 
point  engraving,  aquatint  engraving,  mezzo- 
tint engraving,  and  photo-gravure. 

The  Chemical  Plane-Surface  Method,  chief  of 
which  is  lithography,  or  printing  from  stone. 
This  includes  also  zincography  (metal),  the 
several  photo-gelatine  processes,  and  the  rub- 
ber offset  process. 

The  Relief  Method 

Is  that  wherein  the  parts  which  carry  the  ink, 
and  thus  make  the  print,  stand  in  relief  above 
the  substance  out  of  which  they  are  made,  the 
parts  which  show  white  being  cut  away  so 
that  no  impression  is  made  on  the  sheet. 

Typography,  or  letter-press  printing,  is 
the  method  of  printing  from  movable  types 
having  letters  and  other  characters  cast  in 
high  relief.  The  types  are  independent  of 
each  other,  but  so  made  that  they  may  be 
arranged  in  endless  combinations,  and  after 
being  once  used  for  one  line  or  page  may  be 
separated  and  re-assembled  to  print  other 
lines  or  other  pages.  Other  methods  require 
the  engraving  or  preparation  of  the  subject 
by  slow  processes  which,  when  once  made 
upon  the  printing  surface,  cannot  readily  be 
used  for  anything  else. 

A  page  of  type  may  be  composed,  cor- 
rected, locked  up  for  a  pres.s.  and  impres- 
sions made  from  it  in  an  hour's  time  or  less. 
This  may  be  done  with  the  simplest  mate- 


Methods  of  Printing         vii 

rials,  which  may  be  found  in  every  printing 
house,  however  small.  The  page  may  also  be 
as  readily  moulded  and  the  mould  it  makes 
used  to  produce  a  duplicate  printing  form  in 
one  piece.  For  the  great  bulk  of  book  print- 
ing this  duplicate,  called  an  electrotype,  is 
employed.  By  this  method,  types  sufficient 
to  set  up  a  few  pages  of  this  book  may  be 
composed,  corrected,  and  the  pages  moulded, 
then  the  type  distributed  and  set  again  for 
other  pages  of  the  same  work,  continuing  the 
process  for  any  number  of  pages.  The  sur- 
face of  t}'pe  forms  can  also  be  multiplied  by 
the  stereotype  process,  which  is  the  method 
now  employed  for  nearly  all  daily  newspapers, 
as  it  is  the  quickest  and  permits  of  casting 
plates  in  a  curved  form  so  that  they  may  be 
fastened  to  the  cylinders  of  fast  rotar}-  print- 
ing machines. 

Up  to  about  thirt}-  years  ago  type-setting 
was  done  almost  entirely  by  hand  work,  but 
since  that  time  type-casting  and  type-com- 
posing machines  have  been  developed  so 
skillfully  that  the  greater  part  of  straight- 
away composition  on  newspaper,  periodical, 
and  book  work  is  now  done  with  machines. 
(See  Type  Setting  Machine,  p.  324,  etc.) 

Closely  allied  to  t)'pography  in  modern 
practice  are  wood  engraving,  zinc  etching, 
and  halftone  engraving.  Engravings  of  these 
kinds  are  in  relief,  and  when  made  on  blocks 
which  bring  their  surfaces  to  the  height  of 
type  they  may  be  put  in  the  same  forms  with 


viii        Methods  of  Printing 

type,  or  in  separate  forms,  and  printed  on  an 
ordinary  typographic  press. 

The  wood-cut  is  the  older  kind  of  engrav- 
ing. Because  of  its  slower  manipulation  and 
greater  cost  it  has  been  almost  superseded 
by  the  zinc  plate  and  the  copper  halftone. 

Zinc  etching  is  the  process  of  engraving 
commonly  used  for  newspapers  and  for  the 
ordinary  grades  of  periodical  and  commer- 
cial work.  The  copy  for  reproduction  is  usu- 
ally drawn  with  a  pen  on  white  paper  or 
card,  with  a  perfectly  black  ink,  and  all  the 
degrees  of  light  and  shade  must  be  produced 
by  dots  and  lines  of  varj'ing  widths  and  dis- 
tances apart.  Photographs,  wash  drawings, 
and  fine-grained  or  tinted  pictures  must  have 
their  essential  parts  translated  into  distinct 
lines  and  spots  in  order  to  be  engraved  by 
this  method. 

Halftone  engraving  is  done  practically 
by  the  same  methods  as  zinc  etching,  the  dif- 
ference being  that,  when  photographing  the 
design  on  the  metal,  a  screen  is  interposed 
between  a  sensitive  plate  in  the  camera  and 
the  copy.  The  halftone  screen  varies  in  fine- 
ness from  80  to  250  lines  to  an  inch,  accord- 
ing to  the  coarseness  or  fineness  of  the  plate 
required,  this  being  determined  by  the  fin- 
ish of  the  paper  to  be  used  and  the  care  with 
which  it  may  be  printed.  The  coarse  screen 
is  best  suited  for  the  rapid  work  and  cheaper 
paper  of  a  daily  newspaper,  while  a  screen 
of  135  to  200  lines,  on  smooth  coated  papers 


Methods  of  Printing  ix 

printed  on  slow  presses,  gives  finer  results 
in  the  picture.  The  finer  the  screen  used,  the 
shallower  the  plate  can  be  etched,  and  the 
smoother  the  paper  and  finer  the  ink  must 
be  in  order  to  print  clearly. 

In  a  wood  engraving  the  lines  may  be  cut 
sharp  and  deep,  so  that  it  will  print  clearly 
on  a  medium-rough  or  antique-finish  paper. 
A  zinc  etching  is  not  usually  as  deep  as  a 
wood-cut  and  it  prints  well  on  a  medium- 
rough  paper;  if  it  contains  some  detail  in  fine 
lines  it  may  require  smooth  paper  to  show 
it  properly. 

Relief  printing  is  done  on  presses  of  two 
distinct  classes  :  the  platen,  or  flat  surface, 
and  the  cylindrical.  The  original  hand-press 
consisted  of  a  flat  bed  upon  which  the  type- 
form  was  placed  ;  after  being  inked  and  the 
sheet  laid  on,  the  form  was  subjected  to  im- 
pression by  another  plane  surface.  The  mod- 
ern platen  press  embraces  the  same  prin- 
ciple with  the  operations  applied  mechanic- 
ally instead  of  by  hand  labor.  The  cylinder 
press  is  of  two  classes.  One  style  consists  of 
a  flat  bed  holding  the  printing  form,  which 
passes  back  and  forth  beneath  a  revolving 
cylinder  carrying  the  sheet  and  giving  the 
impression.  The  other  consists  of  two  fac- 
ing cylinders,  to  one  of  which  a  curved 
printing  form  is  attached  ;  the  other,  having 
a  smooth  surface,  imparts  the  impression 
to  the  sheet  as  it  passes  between  the  two 
cylinders    revolving  in  opposite  directions. 


Methods  of  Printing 


This  latter  style  of  press  is  the  kind  em- 
ployed for  daily  newspapers,  large-edition 
periodicals,  and  advertising  matter  issued  in 
large  quantities.  The  flat-bed-and-cylinder 
style  of  machine  is  the  kind  in  most  com- 
mon use.  It  is  made  in  many  varieties  by 
different  manufacturers,  and  is  the  kind  up- 
on which  the  largest  part  and  the  best  grades 
of  typographic  printing  is  done.  The  me- 
chanical platen  press  is  used  for  jobbing 
and  miscellaneous  small  work,  while  the 
hand-press  is  largely  employed  for  taking 
proofs  of  type  and  engravings,  and  for  work 
of  which  only  few  copies  are  required. 

The  Intaglio  Method 

By  this  process  the  design  is  cut  in  the  sur- 
face of  the  plate,  the  lines  or  dots  thus  en- 
graved being  filled  with  ink,  the  face  of  the 
plate  then  wiped  clean,  and  the  paper,  slight- 
ly damp,  pressed  on  the  plate  under  the  cyl- 
inder of  a  rolling  press.  By  this  pressure  the 
paper  is  forced  into  the  sunken  lines  and 
takes  up  the  ink,  so  that  the  printing  has  a 
slightly  embossed  or  raised  appearance.  This 
method  is  in  every  respect  the  reverse  of 
printing  from  type,  and  gives  results  in  del- 
icacy of  line  and  brilliance  and  depth  of 
color  not  obtainable  by  other  methods.  The 
ink  fills  the  lines  in  a  compact  body  and  does 
not  spread  out  under  pressure;  whereas,  with 
type,  the  pressure  of  printing  from  a  fine  ink- 
covered  line  in  relief  tends  to  weaken  the 
color  and  leave  blurred  edges. 


Methods  of  Printing  xi 

There  are  several  methods  of  engraving 
on  copper  and  steel  plates,  each  employed 
according  to  the  nature  of  the  design.  The 
engraving  is  done  chiefly  by  hand  with  sharp 
tools,  or  gravers,  producing  precise  lines  of 
varying  thickness,  as  for  script  lettering.  A 
succession  of  uniform  lines,  straight,  curved, 
or  waved,  are  made  on  a  ruling  machine, 
and  stippling  is  done  by  minute  punctures, 
the  dots  being  larger  or  smaller,  close  or 
open,  to  give  varying  tones  of  color.  Another 
method  is  to  etch  the  surface  with  a  corrod- 
ing acid.  The  plate  is  covered  with  a  coat- 
ing through  which  the  design  is  cut,  and  the 
metal  afterward  eaten  away  where  it  is  ex- 
posed. Because  of  its  greater  freedom  of  ma- 
nipulation, its  quickness,  in  comparision  with 
the  hand-engraving  method,  and  the  sketchy 
nature  of  etched  lines,  this  latter  method  is 
popular  with  artists,  and  is  employed  largely 
for  wall  pictures  and  works  of  art. 

Copper  and  steel  plate  printing,  being  al- 
most entirely  hand-work  and  not  easily  adapt- 
able to  rotary  or  other  mechanical  methods, 
is  slow  and  costly.  The  kinds  of  work  done 
are  chiefly  personal  cards,  wedding  and  soci- 
ety cards,  announcements,  and  stationery. 

The  presses  used  are  not  at  all  like  those 
used  for  printing  type-forms  or  relief  plates. 
Each  print  requires  the  ink  to  be  worked 
into  the  engraved  lines,  the  surplus  ink 
cleaned  from  the  face  of  the  plate,  the  sheet 
laid  on,  and  the  impression  taken.  The  out- 


xii  Methods  of  Printi 


ng 


put  of  a  single  press  is  limited  to  a  few  hun- 
dred copies  a  day.  This  method  is  the  same 
as  when  it  was  first  invented  in  the  fifteenth 
century.  The  tools  are  the  same  :  the  D- 
roller  press  is  practically  the  same,  perhaps 
better  made ;  the  workman  wipes  ofif  his 
plate  in  the  same  way.  In  bank-note  printing 
and  a  few  special  lines  of  work  a  new  ma- 
chine has  been  introduced,  but  a  great  part 
of  this  kind  of  work  is  to-day  done  by  the 
original  hand  methods. 

Steel-plate  printing  employs  practically 
the  same  methods  as  copper-plate  work,  the 
engraving  being  done  on  a  plate  of  polished 
steel  instead  of  copper.  It  is  used  for  bank 
notes,  postage  stamps,  etc.,  and  was  formerly 
employed  for  portraits  and  fine  book  illus- 
trations, though  for  this  latter  purpose  half- 
tones and  photo-gravures  have  largely  super- 
seded steel  plates,  because  of  the  smaller  cost. 

Steel  dies  for  stamping  note  paper,  envel- 
opes, and  similar  work,  are  also  manipulated 
by  the  same  general  methods.  The  steel  is 
soft,  so  that  it  can  be  cut  without  much  diffi- 
culty with  hand  tools.  After  the  engraving 
is  done,  the  steel  is  put  through  a  hardening 
process,  and  is  ready  for  use.  As  the  design 
is  sunk  in  the  metal,  it  is  necessary  to  use  a 
counter  die  to  force  the  paper  into  the  sunken 
parts  to  produce  the  relief  and  take  up  the 
ink.  The  counter  die  is  made  usually  of  a 
substance  known  as  tar-board,  a  piece  of 
which  is  laid  on  the  steel  die  and  an  impres- 


Methods  of  Printing        xiii 

sion  made.  The  tar-board  is  then  trimmed 
away  gradually  up  to  the  face  of  the  design, 
so  tliat  the  impression  will  be  chiefly  at  the 
actual  point  of  printing. 

The  printing  is  commonly  done  with  a 
stamping  press  operated  by  hand,  but  there 
are  now  several  embossing  and  die-stamp- 
ing presses  in  which  the  operations  are  au- 
tomatic and  the  inking  and  wiping  of  the  die 
is  done  mechanically  instead  of  by  hand. 

The  Plane- Surface  Method 

Chief  under  this  head  is  lithographic  print- 
ing, which  is  done  from  flat  stones  of  peculiar 
quality.  The  design  to  be  printed  is  drawn 
on  the  stone  with  a  specially-prepared  ink, 
which  clings  to  and  dries  on  the  surface. 
The  surface  is  then  subjected  to  the  action 
of  a  weak  acid  that  hardens  the  ink  and 
slightly  etches  and  lowers  the  unprotected 
parts.  The  process  of  printing  first  requires 
moistening  the  surface  with  water,  which  is 
absorbed  by  the  blank  parts  and  repelled  by 
the  hard,  greasy  lines.  Printing  ink  is  then 
applied  and  is  repelled  by  the  wet  parts  but 
adheres  to  the  ink-drawn  design.  (See  p.i  40.) 
Plates  of  zinc  are  sometimes  employed  as 
substitutes  for  the  lithographic  stones.  They 
are  much  cheaper,  but  not  adapted  to  the 
finer  grades  of  work.  Zinc  is  also  used  for 
relief  plates  by  photo-engraving  or  etching. 
Work  of  this  kind  is  known  as  zincography. 
Several  processes  of  photo-gelatine  printing 


xiv         Methods  of  Printing 

are  very  much  like  lithography,  a  coating  of 
gelatine  upon  a  sheet  of  glass  or  metal  being 
substituted  for  the  lithographic  stone.  (See 
Gelathie  Printing,  p.  8 7 .  Photo-gravure.  p.  1 8 7 . ) 
The  offset  method  of  printing  has  recently 
undergone  rapid  development,  especially  in 
this  country.  It  is  one  of  the  many  variations 
of  the  lithographic  principle,  employing  a 
plane  surface,  chemically  treated,  for  holding 
the  design,  picture,  or  other  matter  to  be 
printed,  and  a  rotary  machine  with  three 
cylinders  for  the  printing  operations.  One 
cylinder  carries  a  zinc  plate  on  which  is  the 
design,  transferred  from  an  original  copy  ; 
this  cylinder  prints  on  the  rubber  covering 
of  a  second  cylinder,  which,  after  receiving 
the  impression,  prints,  or  offsets,  it  on  to  the 
sheet  of  paper  that  is  carried  around  by  the 
third,  or  impression,  cylinder.  (See  Rubber 
Offset  Press,  p.  254.)  Two  sets  of  rollers  are 
used,  adjusted  beside  the  cylinder  holding 
the  zinc  plate.  One  set  of  rollers  supplies  ink 
to  the  plate,  while  the  other  set  dampens  it, 
as  in  ordinary  lithography. 


The  Printer's  Dictionary 


The  Printer's  Dictionary 
of  Technical  Terms 

A  CCENTS — Marks  over,  under,  or  through 
particular  letters  to  show  difference  in  pro- 
nunciation, etc.  For  most  roman  and  italic 
body  letter,  and  for  many  jobbing  and  dis- 
play fonts,  accents  are  cast  on  the  letter. 
Separate  accents,  floating  accents,  or  piece 
accents,  are  made  for  use  with  any  large 
or  heavy-face  t}'pes. 

Acme  Paper- Cutter — A  machine  manufactured 
in  Boston,  which  has  been  in  use  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  and  improved  from  time  to 
time.  It  is  made  in  several  sizes,  has  self- 
clamping  and  other  useful  devices,  and  is 
operated  by  mechanical  power. 

Acme  Press — A  small  cylinder  press  formerly 
made  in  Boston  and  intended  mainly  to 
meet  the  requirements  of  country'  news- 
paper offices.  It  had  a  high  frame,  with 
the  bed  about  breast-high,  ink  fountain 
and  rollers  close  to  the  printing  cylinder, 
a  delivery-fly  under  the  feed-board,  and 
could  be  operated  by  a  man  at  the  driving 
wheel.  Another  press  very  similar  is  called 
the  Fairhaven. 


2        The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Acute  Accent — A  mark  over  a  letter,  thus:  e. 

Accoutit  Mark — A  sign  used  in  commercial 
books  and  price-current  lists  :  % 

Ad — A  colloquial  abbreviation  for  advertise- 
ment.    Plural,  ads. 

Adams  Press — A  printing  machine  invented 
by  Isaac  Adams  in  1830,  and  subsequently- 
improved  by  him  and  others.  It  was  in 
common  use  for  book  printing  during  the 
latter  part  of  the  last  centurj',  until  super- 
ceded by  the  cylinder  machine,  and  is  now 
used  only  in  a  few  old-established  book- 
printing  houses.  It  has  a  stationary  platen, 
and  a  bed  whose  only  movement  is  up  and 
down — up  to  the  platen  to  give  the  impres- 
sion, and  down  to  allow  the  inking  rollers 
to  pass  over  the  form.  A  frisket  carries  the 
sheet  in  to  its  place  and  after  the  impres- 
sion is  made  the  sheet  is  then  carried  out 
by  tapes  and  deposited  on  the  receiving- 
board  by  means  of  a  fly. 

Ad-man — The  compositor  on  a  newspaper 
who  sets  advertisements. 

Admiration  Mark — Sometimes  applied  to 
the  exclamation-point,  when  it  indicates 
surprise,  joy,  or  admiration. 

Advertising  Rule — A  thin  brass  rule,  type 
high  and  var)ang  in  thickness,  for  dividing 
one  advertisement  from  another  in  news- 
papers, magazines,  etc. 


of  Technical  Terms 


Agate — A  small  size  of  type-body,  between 
pearl  and  nonpareil,  corresponding  to  5  ^^ 
points.  Chiefly  used  now  in  advertising 
and  market  reports.  Measuring  fourteen 
lines  to  an  inch. 

Albatype — A  system  of  making  poster  type 
by  analyzing  the  letters,  cutting  them  into 
squares  and  circles  and  then  composing 
them  so  that  they  shall  come  together  prop- 
erly. For  instance,  an  I  may  be  made  with 
four  pieces,  two  for  the  body  and  one  for 
each  of  the  serifs;  an  H  would  require  nine 
pieces,  etc.  {Amerka7i  Dictionary  of  Printing 
and  Bookmaking.) 

Albertype — A  process  of  reproducing  photo- 
graphs on  gelatine,  the  printing  being 
much  like  lithography. 

Albion P^-ess — An  iron  hand-press,  with  frame 
similar  to  that  of  the  Washington  hand- 
press,  giving  its  impression  by  means  of 
levers  which  straighten  out  when  the  bar 
is  pulled.  Common  in  England. 

Aldine  Editions — Books  published  from  1494 
to  1597  by  Aldus  Manutius  and  his  family 
at  Venice  and  Rome,  celebrated  for  their 
accuracy  and  the  high  prices  which  they 
commanded.  The  works  of  Petrarch,  Boc- 
cacio  and  Dante  were  published  by  them, 
and  they  were  the  first  to  use  italic  letters. 
The  emblem  of  the  Aldi  was  a  dolphin 
twined  around  an  anchor. 


4        The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Aldine  Type — A  heavy-faced  roman  letter  of 
condensed  form :  Aldine.  Now  commonly 
called  bold-faced  condensed. 

Aldus — The  popular  contraction  of  the  name 
of  Theobaldus  Manutius,  the  head  of  the 
celebrated  family  of  Italian  printers,  who 
are  often  styled  the  Aldi. 

Alignment — The  exact  correspondence  at  top 
or  bottom  of  the  letters  and  characters  of 
a  font  of  type. 

Alley — The  floor  space  between  two  stands 
or  cabinets,  in  which  compositors  are  at 
work. 

All  in — When  all  the  type  available  is  dis- 
tributed in  cases. 

All  in  ha7id — When  all  the  copy  has  been 
given  out  to  the  compositors. 

Alteration  of  Margins — When  a  book  or  pam- 
phlet of  small  pages  has  been  worked  off 
with  small  margins  for  regular  edition,  and 
then  the  furniture  between  the  pages  in- 
creased to  print  another  edition  with  wider 
margins  on  larger  paper,  and  vice  versa. 

Afnpersand — The  name  sometimes  applied 
to  the  character  &. 

Anastatic  Process — A  method  of  reproducing, 
from  anything  once  printed,  another  series 
of  impressions.  The  print  is  treated  with 
an  acid  and  submitted  to  pressure  against 
a  zinc  plate,  thus  fixing  the  design  on  it 
similar  to  that  of  a  lithographic  plate. 


of  Technical  Terms  5 

Aniline  Colors — A  class  of  newer  colors  of 
printing  inks,  whose  basis  is  coal  tar,  hav- 
ing great  brillianc)'  but  little  permanency. 
They  work  well  and  have  good  covering 
qualities  for  little  weight,  but  fade  quickly 
when  exposed  to  strong  light. 

Annex  Box — A  brass  box  or  cup  which  can 
be  attached  to  boxes  of  the  type  case  for 
holding  extra  or  special  characters. 

Anonymous  (or  An^n.) — Without  name.  Ap- 
plied to  books  or  writings  which  do  not 
bear  the  author's  name.  When  an  assumed 
name  is  used  it  is  termed  2i  pseudofiym. 

AntimoJiy — A  metal  used  in  t}'pe-founding, 
in  combination  with  lead,  tin,  copper,  etc. 

Antique — A  style  of  type  in  which  all  parts 
of  the  letter  are  of  a  uniform  thickness  of 
line,  made  in  many  varieties :  Antique. 
The  term  is  also  applied  to  blind-tooling  in 
book  finishing. 

Appendix — An  addition  at  the  end  of  a  book, 
containing  further  information;  extensive 
notes,  put  at  the  end  so  that  they  shall  not 
occupy  too  much  of  text  pages. 

Aquatint — A  method  of  etching  on  copper 
or  steel,  in  imitation  of  drawings  in  sepia 
or  india  ink. 

Arabic  Numerals — The  ten  figures  in  com- 
mon use,  so  called  because  they  are  sup- 
posed to  come  from  Arabia;  in  distinction 
from  Roman  numerals,  which  are  letters. 


6        The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Arching — When  a  form,  by  being  locked  up 
too  tight,  or  for  some  other  reason,  springs 
up  from  the  stone. 

Anny  Press — A  small  press  made  in  Cincin- 
nati, much  used  in  the  Civil  War.  being 
adapted  to  the  use  of  movable  army  print- 
ing outfits.  It  has  a  cylinder  by  the  rota- 
tion of  which  the  bed  is  moved  and  the 
impression  given  simultaneously. 

Artisfs  Proof — An  original  proof  made  be- 
fore an  etching  or  engraving  is  given  to 
the  public.  Incorrectly  applied  to  large 
paper  copies  made  later. 

Artotype — Method  of  making  gelatine  plates 
from  photographs,  which  are  printed  from 
in  a  manner  similar  to  lithography;  does 
not  differ  much  from  the  albertype. 

Ascending  Letters — Those  that  ascend  into 
the  upper  shoulder  of  the  type,  as  1,  h,  d, 
etc.,  and  capitals ;  g,  y,  p,  j,  q,  are  descend- 
ing letters. 

Asterisk  {or  Star*) — One  of  the  old-style 
reference  marks.  Also  used  formerly  to 
indicate  omitted  letters  or  words.  One  or 
more  asterisks  used  in  connection  with  a 
letter  for  a  name  is  an  asterism  :  B  *  *  *  *. 

Aut/ior's  Proof — A  clean  proof  sent  to  the 
author  after  the  compositor's  errors  have 
been  corrected. 

Autography — A  method  of  transferringdraw- 
ings  from  paper  to  stone. 


of  Technical  Terms 


Autograph — Written  by  the  hand  of  the 
author.  An  autograph  letter  or  document 
may  have  only  the  signature  in  the  author's 
handwriting.  When  written  entirely  in  the 
author's  handwriting  it  is  a  holograph. 

Auxiliary  Print — A  method  whereby  part  of  a 
newspaper  is  printed  in  one  place  (where 
the  same  matter  is  used  for  other  papers) 
and  then  sent  to  another  place  to  be  com- 
pleted. Used  by  newspapers  with  limited 
facilities.    Also  called  Ready  Pri7it. 

Backing — At  press,  printing  the  second 
side  of  the  sheet;  in  electrotyping,  the  pro- 
cess of  filling  in  the  copper  shell  with  metal. 

Balls — Circular  pieces  of  leather  or  canvas 
stuffed  with  wool  or  hair  and  fastened  to 
handles;  used  before  the  invention  of  inking 
rollers,  to  distribute  ink  on  the  tj-pe. 

Bank — A  high  table,  with  part  of  the  top 
inclined,  upon  which  the  hand-pressman 
placed  his  paper.  Sometimes  applied  to 
any  bench  with  sloping  top  against  a  wall. 

Bar — In  a  hand-press,  the  long  handle  which 
is  pulled  over  to  give  the  impression. 

Bastard  Title — The  brief  title  preceding  the 
main  or  formal  title  of  a  book;  the  half-title. 

Bastard  Types — Those  with  faces  larger  or 
smaller  than  is  commonly  made  on  the 
body,  as  a  7 -point  face  on  a  6-point  body, 
giving  the  effect  of  compactness,  or  8-point 
face  on  9-point  body,  giving  an  open  effect. 


8        The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Batter — Type  injured  in  a  form. 

Beard  (of  a  type) — That  part  between  the 
face  and  the  square,  solid  body ;  the  bev- 
eled space  below  the  face  of  a  type. 

Bearers — Strips  of  metal,  type  high,  placed 
around  jobs  and  pages  that  are  to  be  elec- 
trotyped,  and  elsewhere,  to  bear  off  the 
impression  on  light  parts  of  forms.  Also 
used  inside  the  chase  in  job  forms,  to 
insure  even  rolling  of  ink  over  open  or 
irregular  matter. 

Beating — The  ancient  custom  of  putting  ink 
on  type  by  means  of  inking  balls.  In  book- 
binding, to  cause  folded  sheets  to  lie  fiat 
and  solid  by  striking  the  folded  edges  with 
a  beating  hammer. 

Bed — The  flat  part  of  a  press  upon  which 

,  the  form  is  placed. 

Bed-and- Platen  Press — That  style  of  press 
which  gives  the  impression  from  a  fiat 
surface  —  the  hand  press,  Adams  press, 
and  nearly  all  small  job  presses;  distinc- 
tive from  the  cylinder  machine. 

Begin  Even — When  one  compositor  has  part 
of  the  copy  and  must  end  in  the  middle  of 
a  paragraph  but  at  the  end  of  a  line,  the 
compositor  having  the  next  part  must 
"begin  even." 

Bellows — In  the  composing  room,  used  for 
blowing  out  dusty  cases,  etc. 


of  Technical  Terms 


Benzine — Used  very  generally  in  printing 
offices  to  clean  ink  from  type.  It  evapo- 
rates quickly  and  leaves  wooden  furniture, 
cuts,  etc.,  uninjured  by  wetting.  Because 
of  the  fire  risk,  only  a  small  quantity  is 
allowed  on  the  premises  at  one  time,  and 
this  is  kept  in  patent  self-closing  cans. 

Beveled  Sticks — Side-sticks  and  foot-sticks,  of 
wood  or  metal,  wider  at  one  end  than  the 
other,  by  the  side  of  which  wood  wedges  or 
quoins  are  placed  to  lock  up  forms.  The  in- 
troduction of  mechanical  quoins  which  lock 
up  on  parallel  side-bearings  has  made  the 
use  of  beveled  sticks  almost  unnecessary. 

Bibliomania — A  passion  for  acquiring  books. 

Bibliophile — A  lover  of  books. 

Bibliograph  —  A  description  of  manuscripts 
and  books,  with  accounts  of  different  edi- 
tions, date  of  printing,  prices,  and  other  in- 
formation pertaining  to  them;  the  science 
of  books. 

Bible  Text — Formerly  applied  to  a  size  of 
type  now  called  great  primer,  because  it 
was  formerly  used  for  printing  the  Bible. 

Bill-head — A  ruled  and  printed  blank  on 
which  an  account  is  presented  to  a  debtor. 
The  sizes  commonly  used  are  8^  or  7 
inches  wide  and  of  varying  lengths,  the  top 
part  having  the  creditor's  name,  business, 
etc.,  with  a  blank  for  the  debtor's  name, 
and  the  date ;  below  these  are  ruled  lines 


lo      The  Printer's  Dictionary 

for  the  items  of  the  account  and  prices. 
A  bill-head  differs  from  a  statement,  which 
is  narrower  (usually  ^}2  inches)  and  is 
used  for  monthly  statements. 

Bill Posti7ig — To  put  up  bills,  posters,  etc.,  on 
fences,  walls,  and  other  prominent  places. 

Bill  of  Type — An  old-time  phrase  used  to  in- 
dicate a  complete  assortment  of  type  cast 
at  one  time. 

Bind — When  a  letter,  lead,  or  piece  of  fur- 
niture is  slightly  out  of  place,  or  too  large, 
and  does  not  allow  the  matter  to  lock  up 
square  and  solid.  To  fasten  together  and 
cover  the  sheets  of  a  pamphlet  or  book. 

Bite — An  irregular  white  spot  on  the  edge 
of  a  printed  page,  caused  by  a  frisket  not 
being  sufficiently  cut  out. 

Black-leaditig — In  electrot}-ping,  covering  the 
face  of  the  form  which  is  to  be  moulded 
with  black  lead. 

Blacksmith — An  opprobrious  epithet  applied 
to  a  poor  workman. 

BlackLetter — Applied  to  many  variations  of  a 
style  of  letter  used  in  the  early  days  of  print- 
ing: Ul^Clt  arttrn  Bibliographers 
call  it  gothic,  because  it  has  always  been 
preferred  by  people  of  Gothic  descent ;  but 
the  style  called  gothic  among  American 
printers  is  an  entirely  different  letter. 

Blanks — A  general  term  for  white  spaces 
left  by  quads,  leads,  slugs,  furniture,  etc. 


of  Technical  Terms 


Blanket — A  woolen  cloth  or  sheet  of  rubber 
used  on  cylinder  presses  for  some  kinds 
of  work,  to  save  labor  in  making  ready. 

Blank  Lifie — A  line  of  quads  in  which  no 
letter  appears ;  a  white  line. 

Blank  Page — A  page  on  which  there  is  no 
printing.  It  is  often  necessary  to  make  up 
a  page  of  blank  furniture  to  fill  out  a  form 
which  has  other  pages  of  type. 

Blajik  Tables — Tabular  work  in  which  the 
headings  and  rules  have  been  set,  leaving 
the  columns  blank,  to  be  filled  in  later ;  a 
method  employed  to  expedite  work  when 
the  form  and  size  is  known  and  it  is  de- 
sired to  finish  work  in  the  shortest  possible 
time  after  arrival  of  copy. 

Blind  Date — Letters,  figures,  or  contractions 
sometimes  put  at  the  bottom  of  advertise- 
ments in  newspapers  to  indicate  how  long 
the  advertisement  is  to  run,  or  on  what  days 
or  editions,  as  a  guide  to  the  maker-up :  tf , 
till  forbidden,  eod,  ever}'  other  day,  etc. 

Blocks — Hard-wood  or  metal  bases  for  elec- 
trotypes or  stereot}'pe  plates,  usually  with 
catches  or  mechanical  devices  for  holding 
the  plate  in  place  during  printing.  A  stamp 
or  die  used  on  an  embossing  press  to  print 
book  covers. 

Block  Book  —  A  term  applied  to  the  books 
which  were  printed  from  engraved  wood 
blocks  about  the  time  of  the  invention  of 
movable  types. 


12      The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Boards  —  A  term  applied  generally  to  any- 
thick,  heavy  card  or  pasteboard. 

Board  Rack — An  arrangement  of  strong 
boards  with  ledges  on  the  back  and  sides, 
for  holding  pages  and  forms  of  type. 

Bodkin — A  slender  awl,  often  combined  with 
tweezers,  used  for  correcting  in  type,  etc. 

Body — The  size  of  a  type  considered  in  the 
direction  from  top  to  bottom  of  the  letter; 
the  thickness,  or  width  sideways,  is  its  set. 

Body  of  a  Book — The  text  or  subject  matter 
of  a  book,  as  distinguished  from  the  pre- 
liminary matter,  index,  appendix,  etc. 

Bogus — Copy  given  to  compositors  on  daily 
papers  to  fill  in  waiting  time  ;  type  set, 
though  not  intended  for  use,  is  paid  for  at 
regular  rates,  thus  keeping  piece-hands  at 
work  until  arrival  of  genuine  copy. 

Bold-face — Type  of  roman  stj-le  with  heavy 
lines  thickened.  Bold-face.  Also  called 
full-face.  Fat-face  is  a  broad  full-face. 

Bond  Paper — A  strong,  flexible  paper  for 
bonds,  certificates,  and  commercial  forms. 

Book  Font — A  large  quantity  of  type  suf!i- 
cient  to  set  a  number  of  pages  of  a  book, 
as  distinguished  from  a  job  font,  or  small 
assortment  for  occasional  use. 

Book  Press — A  press  adapted  for  book  print- 
ing, as  distinguished  from  a  newspaper  or 
jobbing  press.  A  strong  machine  used  in 
binderies  to  press  books  together. 


of  Technical  Terms  13 

Book  Paper — The  term  is  applied  in  a  general 
way  to  a  large  class  of  paper  used  in  books, 
periodicals,  and  advertising  pamphlets. 
Other  classifications  are  writing,  news, 
poster,  label,  cover,  etc. 

Booklet — A  small  book  or  pamphlet. 

Book  Plate — An  electrotype  or  other  plate 
used  in  printing  books.  Also  a  label,  en- 
graved or  printed  from  type,  placed  inside 
of  a  book  to  show  the  ownership.  See  Ex 
Libris. 

Book  Room — Applied  to  a  composing  room 
in  which  books  are  the  chief  work  done,  as 
distinct  from  a  job  or  news  room. 

Bookworm — A  worm  or  mite  which  burrows 
in  the  covers  and  leaves  of  books.  A  term 
applied  to  a  person  closely  addicted  to  the 
study  of  books. 

Border — Applied  generally  to  a  large  variety 
of  plain  and  ornamental  characters  cast 
in  type,  the  units  being  adjustable  in  lines 
to  surround  a  panel  or  page,  or  in  other 
combination  to  give  decorative  effects, 

Bottom-lhie — The  last  line  of  a  page. 

Bottom-notes — Foot-notes  are  sometimes  thus 
called. 

Bourgeois — A  size  of  type  between  brevier 
and  long  primer  in  the  old  system  of  type 
bodies;  in  the  point  system  the  size  is  9- 
point. 


14      The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Boxed,  orBoxed-in — Small  paragraphs  or  lines 
of  type  enclosed  with  rules  or  borders ; 
paneled. 

Boxes — The  subdivisions  of  a  type-case  in 
which  the  letters  are  kept. 

Boxwood — A  wood  used  extensively  for  en- 
gravings, or  wood-cuts.  It  grows  in  many 
parts  of  the  world,  and  in  different  vari- 
eties, the  kind  used  for  engraving  being 
hard  and  of  a  fine,  close  grain. 

Box  Paper — Paper  used  for  covering  boxes, 
book-covers,  etc.,  made  in  a  variety  of 
colorings  and  qualities,  but  thin,  so  as  to 
be  pasted  on  easily. 

Braces — Type  characters  used  to  group  or 
combine  two  or  more  separate  items.  They 
are  commonly  included  with  extra  charac- 
ters in  fonts  of  roman  capitals,  in  lengths 
of  two  and  three  ems  (^->^  ^i^.^— v),  and 

also  in  separate  parts  {, ^ s), 

which,  with  dashes,  may  be  extended  to 
any  length.  They  are  also  made  in  brass 
for  use  in  job  work  (-^— ^_^~-^_^— -). 

Brackets — [  ]  Signs  of  punctuation  used  to 
enclose  interpolated  letters,  figures,  etc. 

Brass — An  alloy  of  zinc  and  copper  much 
employed  in  the  manufacture  of  printing 
material.  It  is  largely  used  for  galleys, 
column  rules,  head-rules,  plain  and  fancy 
rules  in  a  great  variety,  circles,  ovals, 
dashes,  etc. 


of  Technical  Terms  15 

Brasses — Brass  strips  used  as  leads  in  daily- 
newspaper  offices,  where  hard  use  quickly 
destroys  the  ordinary  leads. 

Brass  Rule  Cases — See  Labor-Saving  Rule. 

Brass  Rule  Cutter — A  small  machine  for  cut- 
ting brass  rule  in  required  lengths;  a  style 
in  common  use  is  adapted  for  cutting  leads 
and  slugs  as  well. 

Brass  Ride — Strips  of  brass  of  a  width  equal 
to  t)^pe  high,  of  various  thicknesses,  and 
many  styles  of  face.  It  is  used  in  nearly 
all  places  where  straight  lines  are  required, 
from  a  hair  line  to  a  hea\'y  black  line,  and 
in  combination  with  type  and  border. 

Brass  Type — Used  by  book-binders.  Leaden 
t)'pe  cannot  endure  the  heat  which  must 
frequently  be  applied  for  stamping  book 
covers.  Brass  t}'pes  are  more  expensive  as 
well  as  more  durable. 

Bray  —  To  distribute  ink  on  an  ink-table  or 
disc  by  means  of  a  brayer. 

Brayer — Formerly  a  wooden  pestle  of  cylin- 
drical shape,  flat  on  one  end  and  with  a 
handle  on  the  other,  used  to  spread  out  ink 
to  be  taken  up  by  the  inking  balls.  Later 
it  became  a  small  hand-roller  used  for  dis- 
tributing the  ink  before  it  is  taken  up  by 
form  rollers. 

Brayer  Roller — A  small  hand-roller  used  to 
distribute  ink,  etc. 


1 6      The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Break-line — The  last  line  of  a  paragraph, 
where  quads  are  required  to  fill  out  the 
space.  In  careful  composition,  a  break-line 
which  consists  of  only  one  short  word,  or 
part  of  a  word,  is  not  considered  good,  ex- 
cept in  a  narrow  column. 

Brevier — A  size  of  t}'pe  between  minion  and 
bourgeois,  corresponding  to  8-point. 

Brilliant — A  very  small  size  of  type,  equal 
to  half-minion  or  354 -point.  It  is  too  small 
for  practical  use,  although  some  miniature 
books  have  been  set  in  it.  which  are  objects 
of  curiosity.  A  more  practical  modern 
method  of  obtaining  very  small  lettering 
is  to  have  the  page  composed  in  good  t}'pe 
of  a  large  size  from  which  a  sharp,  clear 
proof  is  made,  with  black  ink  on  white 
paper;  this  proof  is  then  reduced  to  the 
necessary  minuteness  by  the  photographer 
and  an  engraving  is  made  by  the  photo- 
mechanical process. 

Bring  Up — In  making  ready  on  press,  to  put 
underlays  or  overlays  on  the  parts  where 
the  impression  is  defective;  to  bring  up  to 
an  even  and  full  pressure  for  printing. 

Bristol  Board — A  class  of  fine  cardboard, 
made  in  various  qualities  and  thicknesses, 
usually  of  smooth  finish. 

Broadside — A  large  sheet  printed  on  one  side 
only,  like  a  hand-bill  or  a  poster. 


of  Technical  Terms  17 

Brochure  —  A  pamphlet ;  a  work  containing 
few  leaves,  printed  and  stitched. 

Broken  Matter — Pi ;  t)fpe  matter  out  of  order. 

Bronzing — To  brush  a  metallic  powder  on  a 
sheet  freshly  printed  with  ink,  varnish,  or 
sizing.  The  metallic  dust  is  made  in  gold, 
silver,  copper,  green,  or  other  colors,  and 
when  applied  to  a  smooth  finished  surface 
that  has  been  printed  with  sizing  it  gives 
a  brilliant  lustre.  The  printing  is  done  in 
the  usual  manner,  except  that  sizing  is 
used  for  ink,  and  while  it  is  still  fresh  on 
the  paper  the  bronze  dust  is  applied  with  a 
soft  pad.  The  surplus  dust  is  brushed  off, 
leaving  the  printed  part  bright  and  clear. 
When  other  colors  beside  bronze  are  to  be 
printed  on  the  sheet,  the  bronze  form  is 
printed  first,  in  order  to  get  rid  of  the  sur- 
plus dust  before  the  other  colors  are  ap- 
plied. The  process  is  slow  and  not  pleasant 
when  large  quantities  are  printed  this  way. 
Bronzing  machines  have  been  introduced 
where  there  is  much  of  this  kind  of  work. 

Bronze  Inks — Printing  inks  made  with  an  ad- 
dition of  bronze  ;  when  dry  they  give  a  me- 
tallic appearance,  though  not  having  the 
same  brilliance  as  when  bronze  powder  is 
applied  to  printed  sizing. 

Bejitrovato — A  chemical  fluid  preparation 
which,  applied  to  the  tympan  sheet,  dispels 
troublesome  electricity  in  press  work. 


i8      The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Buckle — In  electrotyping.  when  the  copper 
shell  has  folds  or  lumps  in  it,  making  an 
irregular  face. 

Building  Up  —  In  electrotyping.  after  an 
impression  of  the  form  has  been  made  in 
the  wax,  to  put  more  wax  on  the  places 
which  will  show  blank  in  printing,  so  that 
these  parts  in  the  plate  will  be  deep  enough 
to  prevent  smutting  the  paper. 

Bullock  Press — A  web  printing  machine,  the 
first  of  that  kind  made  in  this  country, 
invented  by  William  Bullock  of  New  York. 
It  embodies  the  principles  of  the  web  per- 
fecting machines  now  in  use  by  daily  news- 
papers and  others  —  the  cylinder  upon 
which  is  placed  the  curved  stereotype 
plates,  the  paper  fed  to  the  press  from  a 
roll,  and  the  sheets  cut  apart  and  run  into 
a  folding-machine  attachment. 

Bujidle — Two  reams  of  paper. 
Burin — An  engraver's  tool;  a  graver. 

Q — In  the  Roman  numerals.  C  or  c  stands 
for  loo.      See  Roman  Numerals. 

Cabinet — A  frame  for  holding  type-cases, 
etc.,  closed  in  on  the  sides  and  back  so 
as  to  exclude  dust.  Made  in  many  dif- 
ferent styles  for  printers"  use. 

Caledonian  Type — A  style  resembling  antique 
but  heavier  :  Caledonian. 


of  Technical  Terms  19 

Caledonian  Italic — A  broad-faced  sloping  let- 
ter :  Caledonian  Italic.  More  common- 
ly called  law  italic  because  of  its  frequent 
use  in  law  blanks. 

Calendar — A  sheet  showing  the  arrangement 
of  days,  weeks,  and  months  of  the  year. 

Calender — In  paper-making,  a  machine  with 
rollers  between  which  paper  is  passed  to 
give  a  smooth,  glossy  finish  ;  when  the 
rolling  has  been  frequently  repeated  the 
paper  is  said  to  be  supercalendered. 

Calico  Printi7ig — The  process  by  which  cot- 
ton cloth,  white  or  unbleached,  is  colored 
that  it  shows  various  patterns.  The  work 
is  wholly  unlike  that  of  printing  colors  in 
typography. 

California  Job  Case — A  t}^pe  case  with  boxes 
arranged  like  that  of  the  regular  italic  case, 
except  that,  by  the  omission  of  two  hori- 
zontal rows  of  boxes  on  the  capital  side, 
the  boxes  for  capitals  are  enlarged. 

Caligraphy — The  art  of  writing. 

Cameo  Plate  Paper — A  dull-finished  coated 
paper,  presenting  a  delicate  surface,  for 
printing  halftones,  etc. 

Campbell  Press — A  popular  cylinder  machine 
invented  by  Andrew  Campbell,  and  since 
improved.  The  different  styles  of  the  press 
embrace  nearly  every  kind  required  for 
typographic  and  lithographic  work. 


20      The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Cancelled  Figures — Figures  with  a  line  across 
their  faces,  used  in  arithmetic  work :  6. 

Canon — The  largest  size  of  type  having  a 
distinctive  name  in  the  old  nomenclature, 
equivalent  to  48-point.  It  was  so  called 
from  its  early  employment  in  the  leading 
lines  or  paragraphs  of  the  printed  canons 
of  the  Church. 

Cap — A  size  of  writing  paper  ;  flat  cap,  14  x 
17  inches;  double  cap,  17  x  28  inches;  flat 
foolscap,  or  small  cap,  13x16  inches; 
crown  cap,  15x19  inches. 

Cap. — A  common  abbreviation  of  capital. 

Caps,  and  Small  Caps. — Two  sizes  of  capitals 
made  on  one  size  of  type  body,  common 
in  most  fonts  of  roman  letter,  and  often 
set  together  in  combination  :  Capitals 
AND  Small  Capitals. 

Caption — A  heading. 

Carbon  Paper — A  sheet  covered  with  black 
coloring  matter,  which  when  placed  be- 
tween white  sheets  will  duplicate  on  the 
under  sheet  any  impression  made  on  the 
top  sheet ;  manifold  paper. 

Card  Cutter — A  machine  for  cutting  cards, 
made  in  many  styles.  The  style  now  most 
used  has  a  board  with  movable  gauges  and 
a  blade  attached  to  one  edge.  At  one  end 
of  this  blade  a  shear  is  hinged  which,  be- 
ing moved  down  past  the  stationary  blade, 
does  the  cutting. 


of  Technical  Terms  21 

Card  Indicators — Representations  of  the  four 
suits  of  playing  cards,  used  in  playing-card 
literature  :  V  ^  4  4^ .  See  Playing  Cards. 

Card  Pips — Fift}^-three  characters  represent- 
ing each  card  of  a  pack  of  playing  cards. 
They  are  cast  on  bodies  of  about  36-point 
and  used  to  show  plays  in  card  games. 

Caret — [a]  A  mark  used  in  writing,  proof- 
reading, etc.,  to  denote  where  a  word  or 
other  matter  is  to  be  inserted. 

Case — A  shallow  wooden  tray  divided  into 
compartments,  in  which  types  are  placed 
for  composing.  The  common  size  is  about 
32  1^x165^  inches,  and  one  inch  in  depth. 
Two  cases,  placed  one  above  the  other  on 
an  inclined  frame,  are  used  for  ordinary 
compositon  in  roman  type.  The  lower  case, 
divided  into  fifty-four  boxes,  contains  the 
small  letters  of  the  alphabet,  with  figures, 
punctuation  marks,  spaces,  and  quads;  the 
upper  case,  with  ninety-eight  boxes,  holds 
capitals,  small  capitals,  and  miscellaneous 
characters  :  $  &  o:^  1[  ||  §  t  t  *  ae  ce,  etc. 
Cases  adapted  to  other  work  than  plain 
roman  composition  are  common  in  every 
composing  room :  for  italics,  for  accented 
letters,  for  jobbing  and  advertising  type, 
for  music,  for  foreign  languages,  and  for 
numerous  other  purposes.  Many  styles  of 
cases  have  boxes  for  complete  font :  capi- 
tals, small  letters,  points,  etc.,  in  one  case. 


2  2      The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Case-cleaner — A  device  by  which  a  case  with 
a  wire  bottom,  reversed  from  the  ordinary 
type  case,  is  placed  over  the  latter  and 
turned  upside  down,  allowing  the  bottom 
of  the  type  case  and  its  type  to  be  blown 
free  of  dust  with  a  bellows. 

Case  Racks — For  holding  cases  that  are  not 
in  use,  as  distinguished  from  frames  or 
stands  for  cases  in  use. 

Casing  Letter — Putting  type  into  cases  when 
a  new  font  is  laid  ;  laying  a  case. 

Caslon  Type — An  old-style  roman,  originally 
designed  by  William  Caslon,  an  eminent 
English  typefounder.  The  face  is  now  very 
popular  and  used  for  many  kinds  of  work. 
12-Point  Caslon  Oldstyle  and  Italic 

Cassie  Paper — The  imperfect,  damaged  out- 
side sheets  of  a  bundle  of  paper.  The  term 
is  now  rarely  used. 

Cast — Written  at  the  head  of  a  page  or  proof 
by  the  editor,  author,  or  proofreader,  Cast 
signifies  that  the  proof  is  final  and  the  form 
is  ready  for  moulding  and  the  plate  cast. 
O.K.  is  the  term  used  in  some  establish- 
ments for  the  same  purpose.  When  the 
type  form  itself  is  to  go  on  the  press  for 
printing,  the  proofreader's  or  editor's  final 
proof  is  usually  marked  Press. 

Casting  Up — Measuring  the  amount,  by  ems, 
of  type  set,  to  find  the  cost  of  composition ; 
measuring  up. 


of  Technical  Terms  23 

Casting  C?^^^— Estimating  the  number  of  pages 
or  columns  of  type  a  given  amount  of  copy 
will  make.  When  the  copy  submitted  is  re- 
print or  carefully  typewritten,  the  process 
of  estimating  is  greatly  simplified,  but  in 
the  case  of  one  hundred  or  more  pages  of 
copy  that  is  in  the  handwriting  of  perhaps 
several  persons,  on  different  sizes  of  paper, 
broken  up  into  paragraphs  and  parts,  with 
many  breaks  and  otherwise  irregular  with 
extracts,  erasures,  interlineations,  etc.,  the 
calculation  becomes  complicated,  and  re- 
quires a  careful  examination  of  the  copy, 
a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  materials  to 
be  employed,  and  some  little  experience. 
The  ordinary  method  employed  is,  first,  to 
make  a  careful  count  or  estimate  of  the 
number  of  words  or  lines  in  copy  ;  then, 
having  decided  upon  the  size  of  type  and 
width  of  page,  set  a  number  of  lines  of  the 
copy  sufficient  to  establish  the  proportion 
between  lines  of  copy  and  lines  of  type ; 
then  the  number  of  type  lines  is  divided 
into  pages  of  required  length.  To  illus- 
trate :  if  fifty  words  of  manuscript  make 
five  lines  of  type,  and  the  total  number  of 
words  in  copy  is  computed  at  fifteen  thou- 
sand, the  probable  total  number  of  lines 
of  type  will  be  fifteen  hundred;  these  lines 
divided  into  pages  of  thirty  lines  each, 
will  make  fifty  pages  of  type.  Liberal  al- 
lowances must  also  be  made  for  headings, 


24     The  Printer's  Dictionary 

indentations,  paragraph  and  other  short 
lines,  and  blanks.  These  can  be  estimated 
only  by  examining  the  copy. 

Catch-line — Short,  unimportant  words  (the, 
of,  etc.)  between  large  lines  in  display. 

Catch-word — A  word  placed  below  the  end 
of  the  last  line  of  the  page  in  old-time 
books,  to  indicate  the  first  word  of  the 
next  page.  The  term  is  now  often  applied 
to  a  large  striking  or  startling  first  word 
at  the  beginning  of  an  advertisement  to 
catch  attention  ;  a  catch-phrase. 

Caxton  Black — A  stj'le  of  black  letter  made 
and  used  by  William  Caxton,  the  first  Eng- 
lish printer,  and  still  in  vogue  in  a  mod- 
ernized form :  Caxton  ^fecft. 

Cedilla — A  mark  under  the  letter  5,  to  in- 
dicate its  pronunciation  like  s.  In  the 
absence  of  the  proper  character,  some 
compositors  use  a  modern  roman  figure 
5  upside  down  :  g- 

Celluloid — A  white  material  formed  of  gun- 
cotton  and  camphor.  It  takes  a  fine  polish, 
is  highly  inflammable,  and  has  been  used 
in  various  ways  in  printing,  but  not  very 
generally.  When  made  in  sheets  like  card- 
board it  may  be  printed  upon,  though  with 
difficulty,  as  its  hard,  glassy  surface  resists 
ordinary  printing  ink.  By  the  use  of  heat 
and  by  combining  some  caustic  substance 
with  the  ink  the  difficulty  is  overcome. 


of  Technical  Terms  25 

Ceriphs,  Cerifs,  Serifs — Lines  or  cross-strokes 
at  the  ends  of  the  stem  of  a  letter. 

Cerography — Engraving  on  wax  spread  on  a 
sheet  of  copper,  from  which  an  electrotype 
is  made  for  printing.  The  wax  process  is 
frequently  used  in  making  maps. 

Chained  Books — The  custom  of  fastening 
books  to  reading  desks  and  shelves  was 
common  in  the  Middle  Ages  and  later. 
In  churches,  castles  and  large  households 
books  that  were  highly  prized  were  chain- 
ed to  their  places,  but  could  be  readily 
consulted,  in  the  same  manner  as  at  the 
present  time  directories  and  other  books 
of  reference  placed  in  public  places  are 
secured  to  prevent  them  being  carried  off 
by  those  who  have  no  right  to. 

Chalcography — The  art  of  engraving  on  cop- 
per or  brass. 

Challenge  Paper-Cutter — A  machine  whose 
cutting  power  is  obtained  by  turning  down 
an  upright  lever. 

Challejige  Press — A  small  job  press  of  the 
Gordon  style,  made  in  several  sizes. 

Cha?idler  6^  Price  Press  —  A  popular  jobbing 
machine  of  the  Gordon  style,  made  in  sev- 
eral sizes  at  Cleveland,  Ohio. 

Chap-Book — A  small  book  or  pamphlet  car- 
ried about  for  sale  by  chapmen  or  haw- 
kers ;  a  cheap  book  for  common  circulation. 


26     The  Printer's  Dictionary 

They  were  of  no  particular  form,  but  rug- 
ged and  uncouth,  sometimes  illustrated 
with  crudest  wood-cuts  and  were  popular 
in  the  early  days  of  printing.  The  term 
has  been  revived,  and  is  applied  to  pam- 
phlets of  modern  make-up  but  suggesting 
old-time  characteristics. 
Chapel — The  workmen  in  a  printing  oflfice, 
considered  as  a  societ)'.  As  used  in  this 
country,  the  term  applies  to  an  organiza- 
tion of  the  union  printers  employed  in  a 
printing  house,  though  in  its  older  usage 
it  meant  any  assemblage  of  printers  em- 
ployed in  one  place.  If  the  printing  house 
is  a  large  one,  it  has  a  chapel  of  the  com- 
positors and  another  of  the  pressmen  ;  a 
chapel  of  the  book  room,  of  the  job  room, 
or  of  any  distinct  department  of  printers. 
Each  chapel  is  presided  over  by  a  chair- 
man (formerly  called  the  father  of  the 
chapel)  and,  around  the  imposing-stone 
usually,  deliberates  and  acts  upon  matters 
relating  to  employment,  disputes,  chapel 
dues,  and  other  questions. 
Moxon  (1683)  gives  the  following  explan- 
ation of  the  origin  of  the  term  :  "  Every 
printing  house  is,  by  the  custom  of  time 
out  of  mind,  called  a  chapel,  and  all  the 
workmen  that  belong  to  it  are  members 
of  the  chapel,  and  the  oldest  freeman  is 
father  of  the  chapel.  I  suppose  the  style 
was  originally  conferred  upon  it  by  the 


of  Technical  Terms  27 

courtesy  of  some  great  churchman,  or  men 
(doubtless  when  chapels  were  in  more  ven- 
eration than  of  late  years  they  have  been 
in  England)  who  for  the  books  of  divinity 
that  proceeded  from  a  printing  house,  gave 
it  the  reverend  title  of  chapel." 

Chapter  Heads — Those  at  the  beginning  of 
a  chapter,  usually  sunk  from  the  top  line 
of  the  full  page.  The  heads  on  second  and 
succeeding  pages  are  running  heads. 

Character — A  distinctive  mark,  letter,  figure, 
or  sign. 

Chart  Paper — A  machine-made  paper,  of  the 
best  rags,  specially  adapted  for  charts  and 
maps,  being  very  strong  and  thin  to  fold 
easily. 

Chase — The  iron  frame  in  which  the  type  is 
imposed  and  locked  up  for  the  press,  made 
in  many  styles  for  various  uses.  For  small 
job  presses,  the  chase  is  a  simple  cast-iron 
frame,  slightly  beveled  on  two  sides,  and 
is  made  especially  to  fit  its  place  on  the  bed 
of  the  press.  For  book  and  other  large 
work  on  cylinder  presses,  stronger  chases 
are  made  of  wrought  iron,  strongly  welded 
at  the  corners  and  having  cross-bars  fitted 
in  them,  to  enable  the  stone-man  to  lock 
up  large  forms  with  the  greatest  security 
possible.  The  thickness  of  the  chase  as  it 
lays  around  the  type-form  is  a  little  less 
than  type-high,  so  that  inking  rollers  may 


28      The  Printer's  Dictionary 

pass  over  the  face  of  the  form  without 
touching  the  chase  or  its  accompanying 
furniture,  quoins,  etc.  Two  chases,  made 
to  lay  side  by  side  on  a  cyHnder  press,  are 
half,  or  twin,  chases;  a  large  chase  without 
cross-bar  is  a  broadside  or  poster  chase ; 
a  chase  to  contain  two  pages  of  a  news- 
paper has  a  cross-bar  the  short  way  of  the 
chase,  to  go  between  the  pages ;  another 
style  is  divided  into  quarters  by  two  cross- 
bars. The  cross-bars  may  be  fixed  in  the 
frame,  or  they  may  be  removable,  the  ends 
being  dovetailed  to  fit  into  slots.  When  a 
chase  has  two  sets  of  slots,  allowing  the 
bar  to  be  removed  from  one  place  to  the 
other,  it  has  a  shifting  cross-bar.  Chases 
for  cylinder  presses  have  all  outer  sides 
without  bevels,  that  they  may  be  locked 
firmly  when  placed  on  the  bed  of  the  press. 
Chases  used  to  lock  up  forms  for  electro- 
type and  stereotype  moulding  are  rarely 
larger  than  12x16  inches,  are  extra  thick 
and  strong,  and  are  called  foundry  chases. 
Daily  newspapers  printed  from  stereotypes 
have  special  heavy  chases,  one  for  each 
page,  and  fitted  with  a  wedge-and-screw 
device  for  quick  locking  up. 

Check  Ends — Ornamental  designs  placed  at 
the  left  end  of  printed  bank  checks ;  mod- 
ern style  has  largely  discarded  their  use. 

Check  Folio — A  Hat  writing  paper,  17x24  ins. 


of  Technical  Terms  29 

Check  Screw — In  a  hand-press,  a  screw  to 
regulate  the  length  of  the  pull. 

Checkers  and  Chess — Types  for  representing 
these  games  are  cast  on  square  em  bodies, 
usually  1 2-point,  i8-point,  or  larger.  There 
are  sixt}'-four  pieces  for  each  game,  in- 
cluding blanks,  which  may  be  composed 
in  a  square  to  represent  the  playing-board 
and  the  characters  placed  to  represent  any 
position  or  play. 

Cheeks — In  the  old  wooden  hand-press,  the 
main  upright  posts  into  which  the  other 
heavy  pieces  were  fastened. 

Chesapeake  Compoimd — A  prepared  reducer 
for  thinning  stiff  printing  inks. 

Chill — In  a  hand-press,  an  elbow  of  steel  at 
the  end  of  the  bar,  which  gives  the  impres- 
sion by  being  straightened  up  when  the 
bar  is  pulled. 

Chinese  White — A  pigment  used  for  thinning 
or  mixing  with  colored  inks. 

Chrotnatic  Type — Type  so  made  that  it  will 
print  part  of  a  character  in  one  color,  then 
other  tj^-pes  inserted  to  print  other  colors 
until  the  character  is  complete. 

Chromography — Printing  with  colors. 

Chromo-lithography — The  lithographic  print- 
ing process  by  which  one  picture  is  printed 
from  many  stones  in  succesion,  each  stone 
printing  a  different  color.  The  greater  part 
of  lithographic  printing  is  of  this  kind. 


30      The  Printer's  Dictionar}^ 

Cipher — The  tenth  character  in  the  Ust  of 
arable  figures,  which,  standing  by  itself, 
means  nothing,  but  placed  after  a  whole 
number  increases  its  value  tenfold.  Also 
an  intermixture  of  letters,  as  the  initials  of 
a  name,  an  enigmatic  device ;  a  private 
alphabet  or  system  of  characters. 

Circled  Corrections — Special  alterations  made 
by  proofreader  or  author  are  often  circled 
in  the  proof  to  call  attention  to  them.  See 
Ring-7nark. 

Circular  Quads — Made  to  justify  with  rec- 
tangular bodies  outside  but  curved  inside, 
in  pairs,  to  hold  curved  lines  of  type ;  ver)' 
little  used  now. 

Circulars — Applied  to  a  miscellaneous  class 
of  small  work,  like  letters,  notes,  announce- 
ments, etc.,  usually  intended  to  be  enclosed 
in  envelopes  and  circulated  by  mail. 

Circulation  Manager — The  person  who  takes 
charge  of  the  distribution  of  a  newspaper 
or  periodical  after  it  has  been  printed;  the 
city  agent. 

Circiimjlex — The  caret-shaped  accent  placed 
over  a  letter :  a  e  i  6  u. 

Clarefidon — A  style  of  type  in  which  all  the 
lines  are  thickened,  somewhat  heavier  and 
more  condensed  than  antique:  Clarendon. 
In  general  use  for  headings  and  advertise- 
ments. 


of  Technical  Terms  31 

Clay-finish  Paper — Paper  in  which  fine  clay 
is  mixed  with  the  pulp,  to  give  it  additional 
lustre  and  smoothness  in  the  finish. 

Clean  Proof— ^\i^xv  a  compositor  sets  his 
type  without  errors,  or  with  very  few,  he 
sets  a  clean  proof. 

Clearing  away — Putting  surplus  leads,  rules, 
furniture,  and  other  materials  back  in  their 
places  when  the  make-up  and  lock-up  are 
completed.  The  workman  who  persistently 
neglects  to  do  this  is  a  nuisance  in  a  com- 
posing room. 

Clerical  Errors — Mistakes  made  in  copying 
or  writing  manuscripts. 

Clicking — The  system  of  working  in  com- 
panionship under  a  clicker.  See  Compan- 
ionship. 

Close — The  end  of  a  quotation.  The  copy- 
holder, reading  to  the  proof-reader,  says 
quote  (")  at  the  beginning  and  close  (")  at 
the  end  of  matter  enclosed  in  quote-marks. 

Close  Matter — Type  set  solid  and  with  few 
break-lines. 

Close  Spacifig — Thin  spacing,  using  the  three- 
to-em  space  and  thinner.  Type  set  solid 
or  with  thin  leads  should  be  close  spaced ; 
when  widely  leaded,  wider  spacing  is  re- 
quired. 

Closed  Office,  or  Shop — A  workroom  in  which 
union  workmen  only  are  employed,  and 
which  is  closed  to  others. 


32      The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Closed  Up — When  work  is  divided  among  sev- 
eral compositors  and  each  has  completed 
his  part,  or  take,  the  matter  is  closed  up. 
One  slower  than  the  others  keeps  the  gal- 
ley or  form  open  until  he  finishes. 

Coated  Paper — That  which  has  a  surface 
coating,  giving  it  a  smooth  and  commonly 
a  glossy  finish. 

Cock-robin  Shop — A  small  printing  office  in 
which  a  cheap  grade  of  work  is  done  and 
labor  poorly  paid  for.  A  London  epithet. 

Cock-Jip  Letter — An  initial  letter,  larger  than 
the  text,  justified  so  that  it  lines  at  the 
bottom  and  stands  up  higher  than  the  text 

letter.     Here  is  one. 

Codex — Before  paper  was  invented  wooden 
tablets  were  written  on,  and  these  tablets 
were  called  codices.  The  ancients  wrote 
first  by  making  notches  in  them  ;  after- 
wards they  covered  them  with  wax  and 
used  a  stylus  to  write  with.  The  word  co- 
dex thus  came  to  mean  writings,  a  book, 
a  collection  of  laws,  and  finally  was  mod- 
ernized into  code. 

Coffin — In  a  wooden  hand-press,  the  frame- 
work into  which  was  laid  the  stone  that 
served  for  the  bed  in  old  times.  Also  ap- 
plied to  the  framework  into  which  an  im- 
posing stone  is  fitted.  A  small  paper  cone 
used  to  hold  sorts. 


of  Technical  Terms 


Cold  Pressing — After  sheets  are  printed  they 
are  placed  under  pressure  in  a  screw  press 
or  hydraulic  press,  to  take  out  the  indenta- 
tions made  by  type.  A  method  employed 
in  the  better  grades  of  books. 

Collating — Examining  the  folded  sheet  s  of  a 
book  to  see  that  signatures  are  in  proper 
order.  It  is  a  necessity  in  good  work,  but 
slow  and  tedious.  A  modern  method  in 
large  editions  is  to  place  a  diagonal  or 
other  mark  in  the  form  so  that  it  will  show 
on  the  back  fold  of  the  signature ;  the  next 
signature  has  the  mark  moved  down  a 
little,  and  so  on  in  regular  steps.  When 
the  sheets  for  one  book  or  magazine  are 
gathered  correctly,  these  marks  will  show 
in  regular  order ;  if  irregular,  the  misplaced 
sheets  may  be  readily  detected. 

Colporteu?- — One  who  carries  around  and 
sells  books  ;  in  this  country  applied  to  a 
vender  of  religious  books. 

Columbian — A  size  of  type  equal  to  two-line 
brevier  or  i6-point. 

Columbian  Press — An  iron  hand-press  invent- 
ed by  George  Clymer  of  Pennsylvania,  and 
very  popular  during  the  early  part  of  the 
the  last  century.  It  did  good  work  and 
was  ornamented  in  a  novel  manner,  being 
surmounted  by  a  representation  of  the 
American  eagle  "with  extended  wings  and 
grasping  in  his  talons  Jove's  thunderbolts. 


34     The  Printer's  Dictionary 

combined  with  the  olive  branch  of  Peace 
and  cornucopia  of  Plenty,  all  handsomely 
bronzed  and  gilt."  The  name  is  also  given 
to  a  small  rotary  job  press. 

Columbier — A  size  of  writing  paper,  23x34. 

CohiniJi — Newspaper  columns  are  separated 
by  column-rules,  usually  about  6-point  in 
thickness.  In  periodicals,  magazines,  and 
in  books  which  have  their  pages  divided 
into  columns,  the  modern  practice  is  to 
separate  the  columns  by  a  blank  space, 
such  as  a  reglet  or  slug.  A  well-defined 
white  space  between  matter  in  regular  or- 
der serves  the  purpose  as  well  as  a  light 
line  and  is  not  so  bothersome  to  the  press- 
man ;  but  in  the  make-up  of  broken  or  ir- 
regular matter  the  separating  line  is  nec- 
essary to  make  it  legible. 

Column-rules — Strips  of  brass,  used  mostly  in 
newspapers,  to  separate  columns.  They 
are  type-high,  and  vary  from  4-point  to 
1 2-point  in  thickness,  with  the  face  beveled 
on  both  sides  so  that  the  light  line  is  in 
the  middle.  A  custom  with  careful  work- 
men is  that  a  plain  column-rule  should  not 
project  above  the  top  line  of  the  columns 
it  divides;  but  if  there  is  a  cross-rule  or 
border  at  the  top  of  the  columns,  the  col- 
umn-rule should  go  up  to  that  cross-rule.  A 
column -rule  finished  with  an  ornament 
may  end  wherever  good  taste  indicates. 


of  Technical  Terms         35 

Combination  Borders — Those  type  borders 
which,  by  being  cast  on  similar  bodies  or 
on  multiples  of  a  smaller  body,  may  be 
combined  in  various  ways  to  suit  the  form 
required ;  the  term  applies  more  especially 
to  a  class  of  elaborate  borders  made  up 
of  many  illustrative  features,  now  gone  out 
of  favor. 

Combination  Leads  and  Slugs — See  Labor-sav- 
ing Leads  and  Slugs. 

Come  in — When  copy  is  set  so  that  it  occu- 
pies a  designated  space  it  comes  in. 

Comma  (,) — The  most  frequently  used  of  the 
punctuation  marks.  Besides  its  use  in  sepa- 
rating the  minor  clauses  of  a  sentence,  it 
is  turned  upside  down,  in  pairs  and  singly, 
to  mark  the  beginning  of  a  quotation  ("); 
in  column  matter  two  are  sometimes  made 
to  serve  as  a  sign  for  ditto  (");  in  large 
numbers  stated  in  arable  numerals  it  is 
used  to  separate  the  figures  in  classes  of 
hundreds  (i 23,456,789);  it  often  indicates 
the  omission  of  two  letters  in  the  name-pre- 
fix Mac,  as  M'Kay. 

Commercial  A — The  mark  @,  meaning  at  or 
to,  used  in  market  reports,  etc. 

Commercial  Signs — Arbitrary  marks  in  use 
among  business  men :  $  dollar,  £  pound 
sterling,  lb  pound  weight,  <^  per,  fc  per 
cent,  %  account,  etc. 


36      The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Comviercial Note — A  writing  paper,  size  8  x  i  o 
inches,  folded ;  commercial  letter,  11x17 
inches,  folded. 

Comp. — An  abbreviation  for  compositor. 

Companionship — When  a  number  of  composi- 
tors work  together  under  a  clicker,  who 
takes  charge  of  the  work,  gives  out  copy, 
finds  sorts,  makes  up,  etc.  For  these  ser- 
vices, intended  to  facilitate  the  work  of 
others  in  the  companionship,  the  clicker 
receives ashare  of  the  total  amount  earned. 
An  English  custom,  not  common  here. 

Composing — Setting  type. 

Composi7ig  Machines — Many  inventions  have 
been  made  from  time  to  time  for  setting 
type  mechanically.  The  most  successful 
machine  at  the  present  time  is  the  Simplex, 
which  composes  foundry-cast  type.  Dis- 
tinction should  be  made  between  type-com- 
posing and  type-casting  machines.  The 
Linotype  assembles  matrices  and  casts 
the  whole  line  in  a  single  piece.  The  Lan- 
ston  Monotype  casts  individual  types  and 
assembles  them  into  properly-spaced  lines. 

Composifig  jRoo)n — That  part  of  a  printing  es- 
tablishment in  which  the  type  is  set  and 
imposed  and  made  ready  for  the  press. 

Composing  Rule  —  A  piece  of  steel  or  brass 
against  which  type  is  set  in  the  composing 
stick ;  usually  with  a  nib  on  the  end,  to  take 
it  out  when  the  line  is  completed. 


of  Technical  Terms  2)7 

Composifig  Stick — The  oblong  flat  tool  which 
the  compositor  holds  to  place  the  types  in 
as  he  takes  them  from  the  case.  As  its 
name  indicates,  it  was  originally  made  of 
wood ;  wooden  sticks  are  now  used  for 
posters,  but  the  common  stick  is  polished 
steel,  sometimes  nickeled.  It  has  a  mova- 
ble knee,  held  in  place  by  thumb-screws 
or  other  devices,  which  enable  the  com- 
positor to  adjust  it  for  setting  any  length 
of  line  within  its  limits.  For  newspaper 
and  other  work  where  the  length  of  line 
is  fixed,  the  adjustable  knee  is  not  needed 
and  the  stick  is  made  in  one  piece.  A  mod- 
ern style  for  job  compositors  is  the  grad- 
uated stick,  which  has  the  adjustable  knee 
slotted  to  the  back  of  the  stick  in  such  a 
manner  that  it  may  be  set  to  measures  of 
6-point  and  multiples  of  6-point  without 
using  quads  or  other  materials  to  fix  the 
measure. 

Composition — That  part  of  the  work  of  print- 
ing which  pertains  to  type-setting,  making 
up,  etc.  Arranging  the  pages  in  a  chase 
and  locking  up  for  the  press  is  imposition. 
The  term  composition  is  also  applied  to 
the  mixture  of  glue,  molasses,  etc.,  used  for 
ink  rollers. 

Compositor — One  who  sets  type;  according 
to  the  class  of  work  done,  he  is  termed  a 
book,  newspaper,  ad,  or  job  compositor. 


38     The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Compotmd  Words — Two  words  connected 
with  a  hyphen,  like  arm-chair,  house-boat, 
etc. 

Concordatice — An  alphabetical  word  index 
showing  the  places  in  the  text  of  a  book 
where  each  principal  word  may  be  found, 
with  its  immediate  context  in  each  case. 

Condensed — The  word  is  applied  commonly 
in  printing  to  designate  a  t}-pe-face  thin- 
ner than  normal,  usually  connected  with 
the  words  which  name  it  specifically.  This 
face  is  normal,  Bold;  this  is  Condensed;  this 
is  Extra  Condensed. 

Contents,  Table  of — One  of  the  preliminary 
parts  of  a  book  which  gives  a  description 
of  text  matter,  with  page  references.  It 
differs  from  the  index  in  that  it  is  at  the 
beginning  and  follows  the  order  of  the 
book  itself,  while  the  index  is  usually  at 
the  end  of  the  volume,  gives  the  subjects 
in  greater  detail  and  is  arranged  in  alpha- 
betical order. 

Contraction  —  A  word  shortened  by  the  omis- 
sion of  one  or  more  letters,  or  represented 
by  an  arbitrar)^  form.  Omitted  letters  are 
indicated  by  inserting  an  apostrophe ;  an 
abbreviation  is,  more  specifically,  a  word 
cut  off  at  the  end. 

Copper-facing — A  method  of  coating  by  elec- 
tric action  the  face  of  new  type,  so  that  it 
will  be  more  durable. 


of  Technical  Terms  39 

Copper — Largely  used  in  printing  for  making 
electrotypes,  for  copper-facing  type,  and 
in  plates  for  engraving  or  etching  on.  Cop- 
per is  also  used  in  small  quantities  in  the 
mixture  of  type  metal,  and  the  composition 
of  brass.  Copper  bronze  powder  is  also 
used  for  printing  purposes. 

Copperplate  Paper — A  good  quality  of  un- 
sized paper,  calendered  on  one  side  only. 

Copperplate  Engraving  and  Printing — The  en- 
graving is  done  on  a  plate  of  polished  cop- 
per and  the  impression  made  on  a  press 
with  a  roller  motion.  The  method  is  en- 
tirely different  from  typographic  work, 
which  is  printing  from  relief  surfaces.  In 
copperplate  work,  the  lines  are  cut  in  the 
plate,  ink  is  then  rolled  over  so  as  to  fill 
the  lines  ;  the  surplus  being  wiped  off  the 
plate,  leaving  ink  only  in  the  lines,  the' 
sheet  is  placed  in  position  and  the  whole 
subjected  to  a  pressure  which  forces  the 
sheet  into  the  engraved  parts.  The  pro- 
cess is  hand-work  almost  exclusively,  and 
much  slower  than  other  methods  of  print- 
ing. Name  cards,  wedding  and  society 
printing,  and  work  of  a  personal  nature  re- 
quiring relatively  few  copies,  are  the  kinds 
done  in  this  manner. 

Copper  Thin  Spaces — Thin  pieces  of  copper, 
substitutes  for  paper  and  cardboard,  used 
in  spacing  and  justifying  lines  of  type  in 


40     The  Printer's  Dictionary 

job-work;  made  usually  for  12-point  and 
larger  sizes,  which  may  be  obtained  of 
dealers.  For  easy  identification,  spaces  of 
^-point  thickness  are  copper,  and  i -point 
are  brass. 

Copy  —  The  hand-written,  t)'pe-written  or 
printed  words  or  design  given  to  the  print- 
er. Care  taken  in  the  preparation  of  copy 
lessens  the  labor  of  producing  good  re- 
sults. It  should  be  written  with  ink,  not 
with  lead-pencil,  on  one  side  of  the  sheet 
only ;  sheets  should  be  of  a  size  convenient 
to  handle,  never  rolled,  and  if  possible  not 
folded.  The  term  copy  is  also  applied  to 
a  single  specimen  of  a  finished  work. 

Copy-cutter  —  In  daily  newspaper  rooms,  the 
foreman's  assistant,  whose  duty  it  is  to  pre- 
pare the  copy  for  the  compositors.    He 

'  receives  it  from  the  editorial  room,  marks 
the  size  of  type  for  each  article,  the  style 
of  headings,  etc.,  according  to  the  custom 
of  the  publication,  and  cuts  the  copy  into 
small  portions,  or  takes,  so  that  it  may  be 
in  the  hands  of  several  compositors  and 
put  into  type  in  the  quickest  time. 

Copy-holder — One  who  holds  copy  and  reads 
it  aloud  to  the  proofreader.  In  large  estab- 
lishments doing  book  and  periodical  work, 
the  duties  are  exacting,  as  the  reading  re- 
quires, in  addition  to  the  speaking  of  the 
words,  the  naming  of  every  point,  capital, 


of  Technical  Terms  41 

italic,  accent,  or  other  special  character 
employed  in  the  work.  In  small  printing 
offices,  ordinary  matter  is  often  read  by  a 
proofreader  alone,  with  the  copy  beside  the 
proof  for  comparison.  Also,  an  arrange- 
ment placed  on  the  compositor's  case  to 
hold  copy  while  setting  type. 

Copy-hook  —  Ordinarily  a  filing-hook  beside 
the  copy-desk,  upon  which  copy  is  placed 
for  compositors  in  a  newspaper  office. 
There  is  usually  a  hook  for  each  size  of 
t}-pe  in  use,  and  copy  is  placed  in  regular 
order,  face  inward. 

Copying  Ink  —  Made  both  for  writing  and 
printing  purposes ;  it  will  transfer,  under 
pressure,  to  another  sheet  that  is  damp. 

Copying  Press  —  A  small  machine,  used  in 
business  offices  mostly,  for  making  copies 
of  freshly  written  manuscripts  by  transfer- 
ring under  an  impression.  The  original 
copy  must  be  made  with  copying  ink. 

Copyright — The  legal  right  which  an  author, 
designer,  inventor,  or  proprietor  has  in  his 
own  original  productions,  especially  the 
exclusive  right  to  print,  publish,  and  sell 
his  literary  works,  for  his  own  benefit,  for 
a  certain  period  of  time.  This  right  may 
be  in  maps,  charts,  photographs,  drawings, 
paintings,  musical  compositions,  statues, 
and  models,  as  well  as  in  books.  The  fee 
for  copyright  is  one  dollar. 


42      The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Cores  —  The  hollow  spaces  in  the  bodies  of 
large  metal  types  and  in  metal  bases  of 
stereotypes  and  electrotypes.  Also  the 
center  wooden  and  metal  rods  of  compo- 
sition inking  rollers. 

Cornering  Machine —  For  cutting  the  corners 
of  books  and  cards,  usually  round,  but 
may  be  in  different  shapes. 

Corner  Quads  —  Cast  in  this  shape  :  ^  to 
match  6-point  and  12-point  quads.  They 
are  useful  when  placed  outside  the  corners 
of  a  page  with  mitred  rule-joints,  to  secure 
a  true  and  even  junction  of  rules. 

Correcting —  In  America  the  term  is  applied 
generally  to  the  changing  of  wrong  letters 
or  words,  or  making  other  alterations  in 
type  forms.  In  England  it  may  mean  the 
reading  and  correcting  of  proof  as  well,  so 
that  the  expression  correcting  in  the  metal  is 
used  there  to  distinguish  the  mechanical 
operation  from  the  reading  of  proof. 

Cottrell  Presses  —  Cylinder  machines  made 
by  C.  B.  Cottrell  and  his  sons  at  Westerly, 
R.  I.  They  are  made  in  various  styles  for 
typographic  and  lithographic  work,  com- 
prising the  ordinary  countr}-  press,  news- 
paper and  job,  two-revolution,  two-color, 
stop-cylinder,  and  the  elaborate  modern 
web  perfecting  shifting-tympan  press  used 
by  magazines  and  periodicals  of  extensive 
circulation. 


of  Technical  Terms  43 

Co7-rector  of  the  Press  —  A  term  formerly  and 
now  occasionally  used  for  the  proof-reader. 

Coicnter — A  small  mechanism  attachable  to 
printing  presses  to  record  the  number  of 
impressions  made.  The  term  is  also  given 
to  that  part  of  a  type  which  is  at  the  side 
and  within  the  lines  which  print,  thus  giv- 
ing the  white  space. 

Cou7iting  Off  Copy — See  Casting  Off  Copy. 

Country  Offices — Commonly  understood  to  be 
those  in  towns  and  small  cities,  as  distin- 
guished from  metropolitan  establishments. 

Country  Press  —  Applied  to  a  style  of  cylin- 
der press  intended  for  use  in  small  estab- 
lishments, country  printing  offices,  etc., 
for  ordinary  work,  and  made  at  small  cost. 

Cox  Printing  Presses  —  A  series  of  web  and 
ordinary  cylinder  presses  made  at  Battle 
Creek,  Mich.  The  web  presses  are  of  the 
duplex  style,  which  prints  two  sides  and 
delivers  folded  sheets,  using  ordinary  type 
forms  on  a  fiat  bed  and  printing  on  paper 
from  a  roll,  or  web.  Another  style  prints 
from  curved  stereotype  plates ;  others  are 
of  the  stop-cylinder  flat-bed  style,  and  a 
front-delivery  country  press. 

Cranston  Presses  —  A  series  of  fiat-bed  cylin- 
der machines  made  by  J.  H.  Cranston  at 
Norwich,  Conn.  They  were  designed  for 
general  commercial,  book  and  newspaper 
work,  and  were  made  in  a  variety  of  sizes. 


44      The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Cream  Laid —  A  cream-tinted  paper  having 
water-marked  lines  running  through  it  at 
regular  intervals.  In  crea7n  woix  paper 
these  lines  do  not  appear. 

Crochet  Type — Small  types,  usually  two  char- 
acters on  6-point  em  bodies,  one  character 
showing  a  black  square  and  the  other  a 
white  square.  They  are  set  to  show  pat- 
terns of  crochet  work  and  other  designs. 

Cropped — When  a  book  is  trimmed  too  much 
in  binding  it  is  said  to  be  cropped.  When 
it  is  cut  down  so  that  the  printing  shows 
in  the  edges  it  is  said  to  bleed. 

Cross-bars — The  bars  which  divide  the  chase 
into  sections  to  more  securely  lock  up  large 
forms.  When  an  oblong  chase  has  two 
cross-bars  ciossing  each  other,  one  is  the 
long  cross  and  the  other  is  the  short  cross. 
See  Chases. 

Croum  —  A  size  of  printing  paper,  in  Eng- 
land being  20x15  inches;  but  in  this 
country  the  size  is  usually  19X  15  inches. 

Cryptography  —  The  art  or  act  of  writing  in 
secret  characters,  as  by  the  substitution  of 
one  letter  for  another,  so  that  it  will  look 
unintelligible  to  one  not  familiar  with  the 
key  ;  communications  in  cipher. 

Cunabula  or  Incunabiihi  —  The  originals;  the 
extant  copies  of  the  first  or  earliest  printed 
books,  generally  applied  to  those  printed 
in  the  fifteenth  century. 


of  Technical  Terms  45 

Curly  n  —  An  easy  way  to  designate  this 
character.    See  Ti/de. 

Curvilinear  Plates —  The  stereotype  or  elec- 
trotj-pe  plates  curved  or  cast  for  use  on 
cylindrical  machines. 

Cut  Edges  —  A  book  trimmed  by  a  machine 
has  cut  edges ;  if  opened  by  a  knife  or 
folder  where  the  folds  occur  it  is  untrim- 
med,  which  means  uncut. 

Cut  Flush — When  the  cover  on  a  book,  pam- 
phlet, or  other  work,  is  trimmed  at  one  cut, 
with  the  inside,  so  that  all  edges  are  flush. 

Cut  Form  — A  printing  form  which  contains 
engravings,  in  distinction  from  a  form  of 
t}'pe-matter  only.  In  shop  parlance  an 
engraving  is  a  cut. 

Cut-in  Letter — A  large  letter  set  in  at  the 
beginning  of  a  chapter ;  an  initial  letter. 

Cut-in  7wte  —  A  note  or  title  set  into  the  side 
of  a  page  of  reading  matter ;  it  is  usually 
of  smaller  size  type  than  the  main  page, 
but  is  sometimes  in  bolder  face.  A  side- 
note  is  placed  in  the  margin  outside  of  the 
main  page. 

Cutting-out  Knife  —  Used  by  pressmen  for 
cutting  out  underlays  and  overlays  in  mak- 
ing ready. 

Cutting  the  Frisket — In  hand-press  work,  to 
cut  out  of  the  frisket  the  parts  to  be 
printed  on  the  sheet. 


46      The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Cyclostyle —  An  apparatus  for  making  dupli- 
cate copies  of  writing.  Punctures  are  made 
in  the  matrix  by  points  on  a  small  wheel, 
and  through  these  points  color  is  forced 
as  on  a  stencil,  but  with  a  roller  instead 
of  a  brush. 

Cylinder  Press  — That  style  of  printing  ma- 
chine which  prints  by  means  of  a  rolling 
impression  against  the  type  form  or  print- 
ing surface.  It  is  made  in  many  varieties, 
which  are  known  as  drum-cylinder,  two- 
revolution,  stop-cylinder,  double-cylinder, 
and  the  two,  three,  four,  six,  eight,  or  ten 
cylinder  web  machines. 

Cylinder  Sheets  —  The  sheets  fastened  upon 
the  cylinder,  which  form  the  basis  of  the 
make-ready ;  the  packing,  or  tympan. 

D —  Signifies  500  in  Roman  numerals. 

Dahber —  A  soft  leather  or  silk  ball,  for  ink- 
ing a  printing  form,  used  more  frequently 
by  engravers ;  another  term  for  the  old- 
time  inking  ball. 

Dagger  [f]  —  A  reference-mark  used  in  writ- 
ing and  printing.  In  type,  it  belongs  to 
the  group  of  characters  (*  t  t  §  II  ^  (Ic^) 
which  accompany  the  capitals  of  roman 
fonts,  and  which  are  usually  placed  in  the 
top  row  of  boxes  of  one  side  of  the  capi- 
tal case.    Also  called  the  obelisk. 


of  Technical  Terms  47 

Dandy  Roller — Attached  to  paper-making 
machines.  The  wet  web  of  paper  carried 
on  the  endless  wire  of  the  machine  passes 
under  this  roller  and  is  pressed  by  it.  It 
gives  the  laid  or  wove  appearance  to  the 
sheet,  and  when  letters,  figures,  or  other 
devices  are  worked  in  fine  wire  on  its  sur- 
face, it  produces  the  water-mark. 

Dashes  —  Cast  in  type  of  all  sizes  up  to  and 
including  24-point.  In  smaller  sizes  they 
are  in  four  lengths  :  en  -,  em  — ,  two-em 

,  three-em ,  and  are  included 

with  the  miscellaneous  characters  in  fonts 
of  roman  capitals.  As  a  mark  of  punctua- 
tion, the  em  dash  has  various  but  not 
always  proper  uses.  It  may  rightly  serve 
in  place  of  the  parenthesis,  and  to  indicate 
an  abrupt  change  in  a  statement,  to  con- 
nect side  heads  with  their  text,  or  in  place 
of  a  colon  to  indicate  that  something  is  to 
follow.  Its  use  after  another  point  (like  , — 
or  : — )  is  not  generally  approved  by  good 
printers  and  proofreaders.  With  its  longer 
mates,  it  formerly  served  to  indicate  sup- 
pressed words  or  parts  of  words,  like  M — 

d .  The  en-dash  is  more  often  used  in 

place  of  the  short,  stubby  hyphen  when 
that  mark  does  not  seem  adequate,  as  in 
compounding  words  in  capitals,  etc.,  like 
RED-HOT,   1905-1906;  it  is  also  used 

to  extend  a  pieced  brace,  thus  : , ^ v. 

The  longer  dashes  serve  many  purposes 


48      The  Printer's  Dictionary 

in  all  kinds  of  work.   In  addition,  the  term 
is  given  to  metal  and  brass  rules  of  various 

lengths  and  patterns  ( »  —  « ), 

used  for  separating  headings,  articles,  and 
other  divisions  of  type  composition. 

Davis  Oscillatmg  Press  —  Made  in  Rhode 
Island  about  1 850-1 860.  Its  mechanical 
principle  was  a  triangular  frame  with  a 
curved  face,  like  part  of  a  cylinder  surface, 
which  rocked  backward  and  forward  over 
the  printing  form. 

Day,  John  —  An  eminent  British  printer  of 
the  sixteenth  century. 

Daye,  Stephen  — The  first  printer  in  British 
America  ;  he  erected  and  operated  a  press 
in  Cambridge,  Mass.,  in  1639. 

Dead — Applied  in  several  ways  to  matter 
whose  usefulness  or  interest  has  gone  by  : 
dead  matter  is  type  that  has  been  printed 
and  is  ready  for  distributing ;  dead  copy 
is  that  which  has  been  prepared  but  for 
some  reason  is  not  to  be  used.  Type 
forms,  after  use,  are  killed ;  sometimes 
part  is  saved  for  use  again,  and,  with  all 
other  matter  ready  or  in  preparation  but 
not  printed,  is  alive. 

Dead  Horse  — Work  charged  and  paid  for 
before  being  done.  A  journeyman  who 
performs  work  for  which  he  has  already 
been  paid  is  working  for  a  dead  horse. 


of  Technical  Terms  49 

Decimo-odavo  —  The  fold  of  a  book  known 
as  i8mo.  This  Latin  name  is  not  often 
used  among  printers. 

Decimo-sexto — Bibliographical  term  for  i6mo. 

Deckle-edge — The  untrimmed  feather  edge 
formed  where  the  paper  pulp  flows  against 
the  deckle.  Hand-made  paper  has  four 
deckle  edges,  machine-made  paper  two. 

Dedication  — A  note  following  the  title  page 
of  a  book,  in  which  the  author  inscribes 
the  work  to  a  particular  person  or  persons. 
The  modern  dedication  is  usually  brief, 
set  in  plain  roman  capitals,  with  some- 
times a  line  of  black-letter,  and  occupies 
the  middle  of  the  third  page.  Old-time 
dedications  were  addressed  to  patrons 
who  were  persons  of  rank,  recommending 
the  book  to  their  protection  and  favor. 

Degener  Press — See  Liberty  Press. 

Dele  [p] — A  proofreader's  mark,  signifying 
to  take  out,  to  expunge. 

Delete — To  omit,  to  take  out  words  or  letters. 

Delivery  Board — The  table  on  a  press  where 
sheets  are  placed  after  printing. 

Delphin — A  name  applied  to  an  edition  of 
Latin  classics  made  by  order  of  Louis  XIV 
of  France  for  the  Dauphin,  and  esteemed 
for  accuracy  and  fine  workmanship. 

Demy — A  writing-paper  size,  16x21  inches. 
In  England  the  size  is  15^  x  20  inches. 


50     The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Descenders  — The  letters  which  have  part  of 
their  faces  below  the  line ;  g  p  q  y,  etc, 

Detergefit — A  prepared  wash  for  cleaning 
ink  or  grease  from  t)pe,  etc. 

Devil — The  errand-boy  or  youngest  appren- 
tice in  a  printing  office.  Various  accounts 
have  been  given  of  the  origin  of  the  term. 
One  is  that  the  early  printer  was  supposed 
by  superstitious  persons  to  produce  copies 
from  manuscript  with  marvelous  rapidity 
by  the  aid  of  the  black  art,  whence  the 
devil  was  deemed  his  natural  assistant, 
and  this  word  was  applied  to  printers'  ap- 
prentices. Another  stor}-  is  that  the  term 
originated  with  Aldus  Manutius.  who, 
when  he  commenced  the  printing  business 
in  Venice,  had  in  his  employ,  or  rather  in 
his  possession,  a  small  negro  boy,  who  be- 
came known  over  the  city  as  the  "  little 
black  devil,"  a  superstition  having  been 
circulated  that  Aldus  was  invoking  the 
aid  of  the  black  art,  and  that  the  little 
negro  was  the  embodiment  of  Satan. 

De  Vinnc — A  name  given  to  a  series  of  bold- 
faced roman  type  which  has  been  popular 
for  the  past  fifteen  years :  De  Vinne.  So 
named  in  compliment  to  Mr.  Theo.  L.  De 
Vinne,  the  well-known  New  York  printer. 

Dextrine  —  A  substance 'resembling  gum- 
arabic,  used  in  sizing  paper,  for  gumming 
stamps,  labels,  and  in  book-binding. 


of  Technical  Terms  51 

Diceresis — Two  dots  placed  over  the  second 
of  two  adjacent  vowels  to  denote  that  they 
are  to  be  pronounced  separately:  coexist, 
cooperate,  preeminent. 

Diagonal  Indention — When  lines  of  type  are 
so  arranged  that  they  follow 

Diagonally  under  Diagonally  under 

each  other  like  or  each  other  like 

these  three  lines  these  three  lines 

Diamond — The  smallest  size  of  type  usually 
cast,  equal  to  about  45^  points  ;  not  often 
used,  except  for  notes  and  references  in 
small  books. 

Diary — A  memorandum  book  arranged  so 
as  to  give  a  space  for  each  day,  week,  or 
month  of  the  year. 

Die  Stamping — Frequently  employed  for  note 
paper,  envelopes,  and  cards,  the  printing, 
or  stamping,  being  done  in  relief  by  means 
of  engraved  dies.  The  die  is  usually  a 
piece  of  steel  having  the  letters  or  design 
cut  in  it ;  the  engraved  part  is  then  cov- 
ered with  ink,  the  paper  placed  on  it,  and 
the  stamping  done  by  means  of  a  counter 
die  of  a  hardened  plastic  substance,  which 
embosses  the  sheet. 

Diphthong — Two  vowels  joined  together:  J^ 
(E  ae  oe ;  chiefly  in  words  from  the  Latin. 
Modern  usage  often  discards  them,  as  in 
Caesar  for  Caesar,  esthetic  for  aesthetic. 


52      The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Direction  Word — In  old-time  books,  the  first 
word  or  syllable  of  a  succeeding  page 
placed  at  the  bottom  of  the  page,  to  direct 
the  reader  to  the  page  next  in  order ;  the 
catch  word. 

Dis.  —  Abbreviation  for  the  word  distribute. 

Dished — A  defect  in  an  electrot)pe  or  other 
printing  surface,  in  which  its  center  is 
lower  than  the  edge. 

Display — Type  composition  in  which  vari- 
ous sizes  and  faces  are  used,  like  adver- 
tisements, title  pages,  catalogues,  etc.,  in 
distinction  from  straightaway  work,  which 
is  composition  in  one  size  and  one  face  in 
uniform  lines  and  paragraph  form. 

Display  Type  —  A  general  term  for  those 
styles  of  heavier  type-faces  designed  for 
headings,  advertisements,  etc.,  as  distin- 
guished from  those  used  for  plain  reading 
matter ;  commonly  put  up  by  founders  in 
small  assortments  called  job  fonts. 

Distribution — To  put  types  back  in  their  re- 
spective cases  and  boxes  after  use.  In 
press-work,  the  uniform  spreading  of  ink 
on  rollers  and  face  of  the  printing  form. 

Distributing  Roller — On  cylinder  and  some 
small  presses,  the  roller  which  moves 
diagonally  back  and  forth  over  the  inking 
plate  or  other  rollers,  to  distribute  the  ink 
evenly  ;  the  distributor,  the  vibrator. 


of  Technical  Terms  53 

Divisioji  of  Words — The  separation  of  words 
on  syllables  at  the  ends  of  lines ;  a  neces- 
szxy  custom  in  t}'pe  composition,  in  order 
to  make  lines  of  equal  length  and  to  avoid 
as  much  as  possible  unequal  spacing  be- 
tween words.  This  is  one  of  the  most  per- 
plexing duties  of  the  compositor,  as  there 
are  no  clearly  defined  rules  for  his  guid- 
ance ;  the  custom  in  one  establishment,  or 
the  wishes  of  one  author  or  proof-reader, 
may  and  often  do  differ  from  those  of 
another. 

Dodger — A  small  hand-bill,  formerly  used 
for  theatrical  advertising,  and  distributed 
about  the  streets. 

Dog-eared — Having  the  corners  of  the  leaves 
turned  down  and  soiled  by  careless  or 
long-continued  usage. 

Dollar  Mark —  [$]  Representing  amounts 
of  money  in  America ;  it  is  placed  close 
to  the  figures,  without  spacing,  thus  §2  5. 

Domesday  Book — A  book  compiled  by  order 
of  William  the  Conqueror,  containing  a 
register  of  all  the  lands  in  England.  It 
was  printed  in  1873  in  fac-simile,  as  far 
as  that  could  be  done  with  types. 

Doiiatus — A  boy's  Latin  grammar,  which  de- 
rived its  name  from  its  author,  a  Roman 
of  the  fourth  century.  It  was  frequently 
printed  about  the  time  of  the  invention  of 
printing. 


54      The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Dotted  Rule — Brass  rules  with  dotted  face, 
for  blank  work,  to  serve  as  a  guide  for 
writing  on : 

Dot  Leaders — Those  cast  with  dots  thus  .  .  . 
in  distinction  from  hyphen  leaders 

Double — Words  repeated  in  composition  by 
error ;  a  doublet.  Also  when  a  sheet  has 
been  printed  twice,  or  mackled.  The  term 
double  is  applied  in  many  cases  before 
other  words,  to  denote  double  quantities, 
sizes,  or  qualities,  such  as  double-pica, 
double-frame,  double-demy,  double-cylin- 
der, double-rolling,  double-rule,  double- 
title,  etc. 

Doidde-coluvin — When  the  measure  extends 
across  the  width  of  two  regular  columns, 
as  in  newspaper  work. 

Double  Dagger  [|] — See  Reference  Marks. 

Double  Letters — Diphthongs  x.  oe,  and  ft  fi 
in  old-style  types. 

Dove-tail — A  form  made  up  of  pages  which 
do  not  follow  each  other  in  consecutive 
order. 

Drag — When  the  end  of  a  sheet  printed  on 
a  cylinder  press  does  not  print  clean  and 
sharp,  because  of  not  being  held  close  to 
the  cylinder,  it  is  said  to  drag. 

Drawing  Paper — Usually  hand-made  of  the 
best  material  and  well  sized,  for  drawing 
upon. 


of  Technical  Terms  55 

Draw-sheet — The  top  sheet,  drawn  on  over 
the  make-ready  on  a  press. 

Drive  Out — To  space  words  widely  to  fill 
the  line  and  drive  out  a  word  or  syllable 
to  the  next  line.  In  wide-leaded  matter 
prefer  to  drive  out ;  in  solid  matter  prefer 
to  take  in,  by  thin-spacing. 

Drive — In  type  founding,  when  the  engraver 
has  cut  the  punch  its  soft  steel  is  hard- 
ened until  it  has  strength  to  penetrate  cop- 
per. It  is  then  punched  into  a  flat,  narrow 
bar  of  cold-rolled  copper,  making  a  re- 
versed duplicate  of  the  letter  on  the  punch. 
This  is  known  as  a  drive,  or  a  strike,  and 
when  finished  and  adjusted  for  the  mould 
it  becomes  a  matrix,  in  which  the  face  of 
the  t}'pe  is  formed. 

Drum  Cylinder — A  printing  press  having  a 
large  cylinder,  the  printing  surface  occu- 
pying only  less  than  one-half  of  its  surface, 
and  making  an  impression  at  each  revo- 
lution.    See  Cylinder  Presses. 

Dry  Colors — Finely-powdered  pigments,  ap- 
plied with  a  brush  or  pad  to  sheets  printed 
with  varnish  or  sizing,  as  is  commonly 
done  with  bronze  powders.  The  object  is 
to  secure  color  with  a  brighter  luster  than 
when  the  coloring  pigment  is  mixed  with 
oil  like  ordinary  printing  ink. 

Dry  Point — A  sharp  needle  used  in  copper- 
plate engraving,  to  cut  fine  lines  and  dots. 


56      The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Dry  Pressifig — To  press  out  the  indentations 
made  by  types  after  printing,  so  that  the 
printed  sheet  is  perfectly  smooth.  This  is 
done  in  a  strong  screw  or  hydraulic  press, 
the  printed  sheets  being  placed  between 
sheets  of  hard-rolled  cardboard. 

Dryer — A  varnish  preparation  for  niLxing 
with  ink  to  increase  its  drying  properties. 

Drying  Rack — A  stand  or  frame  with  shelves 
for  holding  printed  sheets  in  small  lots 
when  they  come  from  the  press  until  the 
ink  dries.  Freshly-printed  sheets  must  be 
handled  carefully  to  prevent  the  set-ofif  of 
ink  from  one  sheet  to  the  back  of  another ; 
the  finer  finished  the  paper,  the  greater  is 
the  care  required. 

Ductor — The  reservoir  which  holds  the  ink 
in  a  printing  machine ;  the  ink  fountain. 

Duck  Roller — A  roller  on  a  hinged  frame, 
which  supplies  ink  from  the  fountain-roller 
to  the  distributing-roller  or  the  ink-table. 

Dumffiy — A  few  pages  or  parts  of  a  proposed 
book,  pamphlet,  or  periodical,  put  together 
so  as  to  show  in  advance  the  plan,  design, 
or  arrangement  to  be  followed  ;  it  may  be 
sketched  with  pen  or  pencil,  sample  lines 
or  pages  printed,  or  proof-sheets  mounted 
on  it,  the  intent  being  to  show  how  the 
work  will  be  when  completed.  A  dummy 
is  now  a  necessary  preliminary  to  all 
printed  work  of  importance. 


of  Technical  Terms  57 

Duodecimo — A  sheet  folded  so  as  to  make 
twelve  leaves,  usually  indicated  as  i2mo. 
or  12°.  It  is  smaller  than  octavo  (8vo) 
and,  like  it,  is  now  of  no  fixed  dimensions, 
being  about  5x7^. 

Dupe — An  abbreviation  of  duplicate,  the  sec- 
ond proof  taken  of  type-matter  which  is 
to  be  paid  for  by  the  piece.  The  dupes  of 
a  compositor's  work  are,  at  the  end  of  the 
day  or  the  week,  pasted  together  and 
measured,  and  the  charge  therefor  made 
accordingly  at  the  stated  price  per  thou- 
sand ems  of  the  type  set. 

Dutchman — A  joke-name  for  a  small  piece  of 
wood  or  tooth-pick  driven  into  a  part  of  a 
type-form  that  is  imperfectly  justified,  to 
make  it  tight.   Its  use  is  not  creditable. 

Dutch  Paper — A  rough,  deckle-edged,  hand- 
made paper,  made  in  Holland,  imported 
and  used  for  occasional  work  of  rugged 
old-style  character. 

Dwell — When  the  impression  of  a  form  on 
the  press  is  at  its  maximum. 

Duplex  Card  or  Paper — That  having  the  two 
sides  colored  differently. 


Early  impression— S>?ad.  of  a  print 
from  an  engraving ;  it  is  considered  more 
valuable  than  a  later  impression  when  the 
plate  has  become  worn. 


58      The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Eclectic — Selected  ;  applied  to  magazines  and 
books  whose  matter  is  selected  and  re- 
printed from  other  publications. 

Edition  — The  number  of  copies  of  a  book, 
magazine,  or  newspaper  printed  at  one 
time. 

Edition  de  luxe  —  Books  printed  in  specially 
sumptuous  or  elaborate  style,  with  fine 
paper  and  bindings,  and  in  comparatively 
small  editions. 

Editor — The  chief  writer  for  a  newspaper 
or  other  publication,  or  he  who  is  respon- 
sible for  its  policy  or  management ;  also 
the  person  who  revises  or  prepares  copy 
for  publication. 

Editorials  — The  articles  in  a  newspaper  or 
magazine  which  express  the  opinions  of 
the  editor ;  usually  occupying  a  page  or 
department  by  itself.  In  newspapers  the 
editorials  are  usually  in  larger  type  than 
ordinary  matter. 

Eidograph — An  instrument  for  copying  draw- 
ings on  the  same  or  different  scale  ;  a  form 
of  pantagraph. 

Eighteenmo — A  sheet  folded  into  eighteen 
leaves,  or  thirty-six  pages ;  generally  writ- 
ten i8mo;  octodecimo. 

Eights — A  familiar  term  in  imposition  for 
sheets  of  octavo. 

Electro-etching — A  method  of  etching  upon 
metal  by  electro-chemical  decomposition. 


of  Technical  Terms         59 

Electricity  in  Paper — This  causes  the  printer 
much  trouble  at  times  and  under  certain 
conditions.  The  electricity  is  generated  in 
the  paper  during  manufacture  and  remains 
stored  while  in  bulk  and  until  dissipated 
or  released.  The  handling  of  the  sheets 
and  theirpassage  through  the  press  excites 
the  electric  fluid,  causing  the  sheets  to 
stick  together  so  as  to  set-off  fresh  ink,  to 
adhere  to  the  press-table,  and  otherwise  to 
become  unwieldy.  Weather  conditions 
have  much  to  do  with  the  trouble,  the  cold 
dry  atmosphere  of  winter  tending  to  make 
it  more  difficult  to  get  rid  of  the  electricity, 
which  passes  off  easier  in  the  moist  air  of 
summer.  In  small  quantities  of  paper  it 
is  easier  to  dissipate  the  fluid  than  when 
paper  is  in  large  bulk.  Various  methods 
of  overcoming  the  trouble  have  been  de- 
vised, but  none  have  proved  unfailing  un- 
der all  conditions.  Wires  placed  against 
the  bed,  cylinder,  or  delivery-table  of  the 
press,  to  draw  off  the  electricity,  have  at 
times  been  effective ;  devices  for  keeping 
the  air  of  the  room  moist  have  sometimes 
proved  a  remedy  ;  patented  processes  and 
chemical  dissipaters  have  also  been  used. 

Electrotyped Letters — Types  made  by  the  elec- 
trotype process,  as  distinguished  from  cast 
types;  mostly  ornamental  initials  and  spe- 
cial characters,  which  must  first  have  been 
engraved  to  furnish  a  form  for  moulding. 


6o      The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Electrotype  —  A  copper-faced  duplicate,  in 
one  piece,  made  from  a  page  or  form  of 
type,  engraving,  or  other  object  which  may- 
be used  to  mould  from.  The  process  for 
making  an  electrotype  for  printing  pur- 
poses is  as  follows :  The  t}'pe  is  locked, 
usually  in  small  forms,  in  a  chase,  each 
page,  as  well  as  the  larger  blank  spaces, 
having  around  it  metal  guards  of  the 
height  of  type.  An  impression  is  then 
made  in  a  sheet  of  wax  having  its  surface 
dusted  with  black  lead  or  plumbago.  This 
wax  impression  is  then  suspended  in  a 
galvanic  bath  in  which  copper  is  present 
in  a  state  of  solution ;  the  copper  being 
affected  by  electricity,  leaves  the  solution 
and  deposits  itself  in  minute  particles  upon 
the  face  of  the  mould.  When  the  copper 
film  is  thick  enough  it  is  stripped  from  the 
mould,  and  after  a  covering  of  a  tin  com- 
pound, which  acts  as  a  solder,  the  film  is 
backed  up  with  melted  metal  resembling 
type-metal.  This  produces  a  metal  plate 
with  a  copper  face  which  is  a  duplicate  of 
the  original  type  form  or  engraving.  The 
finishing  of  the  plate  requires  beating  up 
the  low  places  to  an  even  level,  correct- 
ing defective  parts,  shaving  the  surplus 
metal  from  the  back  to  make  it  of  true  and 
uniform  thickness,  and  mounting  on  wood 
or  otherwise  to  make  it  type-high,  and 
trimming  the  edges.   When  it  is  intended 


of  Technical  Terms         6i 

to  use  the  electroplates  on  the  modern 
patented  bases,  or  blocks,  they  are  simply 
shaved  to  a  required  thickness  and  the 
edges  beveled  so  that  they  may  be  held 
by  small  hooks  attached  to  the  blocks. 
Elephant — A  size  of  writing  paper,  23  x  28 
inches  ;  in  England,  the  sizes  of  elephant 
are  :  printing  paper  23  x  30,  writing  paper 
23  X  28,  wrapping  paper  24  x  34  inches. 

Elision  —  The  cutting  off  or  suppresion,  as 
of  a  letter  from  a  word  which  is  pronounced 
in  its  abbreviated  form :  don't,  o'er. 

Ellipsis  —  Marks  indicating  omission  of  let- 
ters, words,  or  paragraphs.   Asterisks  are 

sometimes  used  *  *  *  *,  dashes , 

periods ,  and  other  marks. 

Elzevir — The  name  of  a  celebrated  family 
of  printers  in  Holland  during  the  sixteenth 
and  seventeenth  centuries.  The  name  is 
now  given  to  a  style  of  roman  type  resem- 
bling that  used  by  the  Elzevirs,  and  which, 
in  several  varieties,  is  used  for  fine  work. 
Called  also  French  Elzevir  and  French 
Oldstyle:   ELZEVIR.    French  Oldstyle. 

Em  — The  square  of  a  type  body.  The  com- 
mon method  of  measuring  type  composi- 
tion is  by  ems,  the  number  of  ems  in  a  line 
being  multiplied  by  the  number  of  lines. 
The  term  is  applied  in  many  ways  to  print- 
ing material,  as  em-dash  — ,  em-quad  | 
(lo-point),  etc. 


62      The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Embossing — The  process  of  impressing  let- 
ters, figures,  or  designs  in  relief  upon  paper 
or  other  material.  As  done  ordinarily  in 
connection  with  printing,  it  involves  the 
cutting  of  a  metallic  die,  into  the  surface  of 
which  the  design  is  made.  The  die  being 
locked  up  for  the  press,  in  the  same  man- 
ner as  a  type  form,  and  the  ink  rollers  re- 
moved, an  impression  is  made  upon  a 
tympan  which  is  covered  with  a  plastic 
substance  into  which,  while  soft,  the  die 
is  pressed.  This  impression  is  then  allowed 
to  harden,  and  when  properly  trimmed 
forms  the  counter-die.  The  sheets  to  be  em- 
bossed, which  have  already  been  printed 
fiat  with  the  design  in  needed  colors,  are 
then  fed  to  gauges  which  register  the  em- 
bossing die  to  the  printed  design.  Various 
methods  are  employed  for  making  counter- 
dies  for  embossing,  but  all  methods  require 
the  engraved,  stamped,  or  otherwise  cut 
die  for  the  design.  Printing  for  the  blind 
is  embossed  with  special  t)'pes,  and  re- 
quires a  leaf  for  each  page  of  such  work. 

Embossed  Imprint — A  method  by  which,  at 
the  same  time  that  an  impression  is  made 
with  ink,  the  printer's  or  maker's  imprint 
is  embossed  on  the  sheet  without  color. 

Empty  Case — A  case  without  sorts  or  letters 
which  are  needed  to  compose  the  line ;  it 
may  have  other  letters  but  is  empty  of 
those  required. 


of  Technical  Terms  63 

Embossing  Press  — A  machine  used  largely 
in  book  binderies  for  impressing  book 
cover  designs,  etc.  Several  styles  are  made, 
all  of  very  strong  and  heavy  construction. 
For  embossing  stationery,  leather,  and 
small  work,  a  hand-press  having  a  screw 
similar  to  a  letter-press  is  employed.  An- 
other style  is  like  the  ordinary  job  printing 
press,  but  much  stronger,  and  is  used  with 
ink  rollers,  or  when  the  die  is  embossed 
without  color.  Heat  is  necessary  for  stamp- 
ing gold-leaf,  requiring  another  style  of 
machine  with  a  gas-burner  arrangement 
for  heating  the  die.   See  Stampijig  Press. 

Emerald — A  size  of  type  common  in  Eng- 
land, larger  than  nonpareil  and  smaller 
than  minion,  or  about  6^ -point.  Formerly 
known  in  this  country  as  minionette. 

E71  —  One  half  the  width  of  an  em  body ;  in 
England  the  en  is  the  unit  of  measuring 
type  composition,  instead  of  the  em,  as  in 
this  country. 

En-quad — The  space  next  thicker  than  the 
three-to-em,  and  one  half  of  the  em-quad. 

Enameled  Paper — A  specially  prepared  sur- 
face, formed  by  a  coating  of  clay  or  other 
mineral  substance,  and  smoothed  by  hot 
rollers  under  great  pressure  ;  used  largely 
for  labels  and  cover  stock,  but  often  diffi- 
cult to  print  on,  as  it  does  not  readily  take 
common  printing  ink. 


64      The  Printer's  Dictionary 

End  Even — To  finish  copy  even  at  the  end 
of  a  line  of  type,  without  blank,  or  regard 
to  paragraph.  A  practice  formerly  com- 
mon in  newspaper  offices  where  it  was  nec- 
essary to  divide  copy  into  takes  ;  when  the 
division  came  in  the  middle  of  a  sentence 
the  compositor  was  required  to  make  his 
take  end  even  so  as  to  join  without  a  break 
that  which  follow-ed. 

End  Papers — The  blank  leaves  at  the  begin- 
ning and  end  of  a  bound  volume,  one  sheet 
being  pasted  down  upon  the  boards. 

Engine-sized — When  paper  is  made  from  pulp 
sized  in  the  beating  engine,  in  distinction 
from  hand-sized  or  tub-sized  paper,  which 
is  sized  after  it  is  otherwise  completed. 

English — A  size  of  t>'pe  next  larger  than  pica, 
or  about  14-point. 

Engraving — The  act  or  art  of  producing  let- 
ters or  designs  on  wood,  metal,  or  other 
substances,  by  cutting  or  corrosion,  for  the 
purpose  of  being  printed  on  paper  or  other 
material.  The  chief  methods  of  engraving 
now  practiced  for  illustrative  purposes  are : 
Steel  or  copper-plate  engraving,  which  is 
hand  work ;  wood  engraving,  also  hand 
work ;  wood  engraving  has  Iseen  largely 
superseded  by  photo-mechanical  or  pro- 
cess engraving,  done  by  photography  and 
etching  acids;  and  lithography,  which  is 
printing  from  specially  prepared  stone. 


of  Technical  Terms  65 

Envelope — A  paper  cover  for  a  letter  or  other 
document,  now  also  used  for  many  pur- 
poses. The  most  common  kinds  are  :  drug, 
pay,  commercial,  and  official.  The  official 
sizes  are  about  9  or  i  o  inches  long  by  4  in- 
ches wide ;  commercial  sizes  are  the  most 
generally  used,  6  to  7  inches  long  by  3  ^  to 
4  inches  wide  ;  pay  envelopes  are  smaller, 
drug  envelopes  used  by  apothecaries  are 
still  smaller.  Besides  these,  although  not 
made  in  such  large  quantities,  envelopes 
are  made  for  innumerable  other  purposes. 
Some  envelopes  are  cloth-lined  for  greater 
security,  and  others  are  made  from  every 
variety  of  paper.  They  are  usually  packed 
in  boxes  of  250,  500,  or  1000  envelopes. 
Stamped  envelopes  are  furnished  by  the 
Government  in  common  sizes  ;  these  have 
the  postage  stamp  printed  on  the  corner 
and  are  furnished  at  a  very  low  cost.  Ordi- 
narily the  printing  of  envelopes  is  not  very 
desirable  work,  partly  because  of  the  low 
prices  and  also  because  of  the  difficulty  of 
printing  on  the  face  of  a  sheet  that  has 
overlapping  gummed  edges  on  the  back. 
What  are  called  high-cut  envelopes  (that 
is,  the  back  sheet  under  the  flap  being  cut 
high  so  as  to  bring  it  near  the  edge  of  the 
envelope)  present  less  trouble  to  the  press- 
man in  printing.  Envelopes  which  have 
elaborate  designs  or  engravings  covering 
a  large  part  of  their  face  are  only  printed 


66     The  Printer's  Dictionary 

satisfactorily  before  the  sheet  is  folded  and 
gummed  ;  for  this  purpose  they  may  be  ob- 
tained flat  from  the  makers,  and  after  print- 
ing returned  for  folding  and  gumming. 

Equal  Mark — An  arithmetical  sign  :  =.  In 
the  absence  of  the  proper  t)-pe  the  paral- 
lel mark  ||  turned  sideways  may  be  used. 

Equivaleiit  Weights  of  Paper — The  difference 
in  weight  between  two  sizes  of  any  given 
kind  of  paper,  to  compensate  for  a  larger 
or  smaller  sheet.  For  example  :  A  book  is 
printed  from  stock  22  x  32  inches,  weigh- 
ing 40  pounds  to  the  ream  ;  it  is  desired  to 
print  another  book  on  the  same  stock  but 
in  sheets  28x42  inches.  What  should  be 
the  weight  of  the  latter  ? 

22  X32  :  28  X  42  : :  40  :  663/^. 
The  area  of  the  smaller  sheet  is  704  square 
inches,  and  of  the  larger  11 76  square  in- 
ches ;  therefore,  40  pounds  of  the  smaller 
size  would  be  equivalent  to  663^  pounds 
of  the  larger. 

Errata  — Applied  to  a  list  of  errors  and  cor- 
rections in  a  book  which  are  of  sufficient 
importance  to  be  called  to  the  attention  of 
the  reader  ;  sometimes  inserted  at  the  end 
of  the  book,  in  other  cases  at  the  begin- 
ning ;  or  printed  on  a  slip  and  tipped  in 
beside  the  page  containing  the  error. 
Modern  methods  have  made  the  need  for 
errata-pages  less  frequent  than  formerly. 


of  Technical  Terms  67 

Error — Applied  to  any  kind  of  deviation 
from  correctness  in  type  composition. 

Etching — The  art  or  practice  of  producing 
figures  or  designs  on  metal,  glass,  or  the 
like,  by  means  of  lines  or  strokes  eaten  in 
or  corroded  by  means  of  some  strong  acid. 
The  plate  is  first  covered  with  varnish  or 
other  ground  capable  of  resisting  the  acid, 
and  this  is  then  scored  or  scratched  by  a 
needle  or  similar  instrument,  so  as  to  form 
the  drawing;  the  plate  is  then  covered  with 
acid,  which  corrodes  the  metal  in  the  lines 
thus  laid  bare. 

Even  Folios  — The  page-numbers  of  the  left- 
hand  pages,  2,4,  6,  etc.  The  odd  folios  are 
those  of  the  right-hand  pages,  i,  3,  5,  7, etc. 

Ex  Libris — A  book-plate,  or  label  of  orna- 
mental, fanciful,  or  significant  design, 
placed  inside  the  cover  of  a  book  to  indi- 
cate the  ownership.  Book-lovers  thus  label 
the  volumes  of  their  libraries,  a  practice 
that  has  been  in  vogue  more  or  less  for 
centuries,  and  popular  at  the  present  time. 
Eminent  designers  and  engravers  have 
made  plates  of  this  class  which  have  much 
interest  for  book-men  and  collectors. 

Excelsior — A  size  of  t}-pe  little  used,  one 
half  the  size  of  brevier,  or  about  4-point. 

Exclamation  Mark  [!]  — In  some  uses  called 
admiration  mark.  In  shop  parlance,  often 
called  the  "screamer," 


68      The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Exchange — A  newspaper  sent  to  the  office  of 
another  paper  in  exchange.  An  exchange 
editor  or  reader  is  one  whose  dut>'  it  is  to 
look  over  other  journals  sent  to  his  office, 
for  the  purpose  of  culling  matters  of  inter- 
est or  comment,  for  his  own  journal. 

Expurgated  Edition  — An  edition  of  a  book 
or  publication  in  which  offensive  or  objec- 
tionable words  or  expressions  which  ap- 
peared in  other  editions  have  been  omitted. 

Extended — Applied  to  faces  of  t}'pe  made 
extra  broad  :  EXTENDED.  Some- 
times called  Expanded. 

Extra — An  edition  of  a  newspaper  following 
the  first  regular  edition  for  the  day. 

Extras — The  charges  on  composition  above 
the  regular  or  fixed  charge,  on  account  of 
additional  labor,  etc.,  as  for  setting  tables, 
foreign  languages,  etc. 

Extract — A  passage  taken  from  another  book 
or  another  author's  writing ;   a  quotation. 

Extra  Condensed —  Used  to  describe  a  type 
face  which  has  been  compressed  ver}-  thin 
sideways,  as  :  GothiC  Extra  Conrfensed,  a  st)'le 
used  largely  in  narrow  columns  of  news- 
papers and  in  advertising  work. 


f^ — The  lower-case  f  is  often  kerned — that 
is,  has  part  of  the  face  projecting  over 
the  body  ;  this  overhanging  beak  is  easily 


of  Technical  Terms  69 

broken  off  when  the  letter  comes  imme- 
diately before  another  tall  letter,  so  that 
most  roman  fonts  are  supplied  with  com- 
binations fi  fl  ff  ffi  fH  cast  on  single  bodies 
without  kerns.  These  combinations  are 
more  familiar  in  ordinary  reading  than  the 
separate  letters,  as  will  be  noted  in  these 
examples,  fine,  fine,  flow,  flow,  office, 
office,  affluent,  affluent. 

Facsimile — An  exact  reproduction  ;  a  copy 
which  cannot  easily  be  distinguished  from 
the  original;  often  abbreviated  to fac-sitn. 

Face  (of  a  type  or  form)  —  That  part  which 
prints,  as  distinguished  from  the  shank 
and  shoulder ;  also  used  to  express  one 
style  of  type  from  another,  as  plain  face, 
heavy  face,  light  face,  etc. 

Fair  Office  —  In  the  language  of  members 
of  the  typographical  union,  a  fair  office  is 
a  union  office  where  union  prices  are  paid, 
and  an  unfair  office  is  one  which  is  not 
governed  by  union  rules. 

Fake  —  Applied  to  a  made-up  story  or  propo- 
sition in  which  there  is  little  or  no  truth ; 
a  pretence,  a  cheap  imitation  made  to  look 
like  the  real  thing. 

False  Motions — The  unnecessary  movements 
made  by  some  compositors  in  type-setting. 
Present-day  workmen  are  not  so  prone  to 
habits  of  this  kind  as  those  of  the  last  gen- 
eration.   Some  of  these  were  to  bring  the 


70     The  Printer's  Dictionary 

type  to  the  stick  and  hit  it  once,  twice,  or 
three  times  against  the  composing  rule 
before  leaving  it  in  place ;  to  hit  it  on  the 
centre  bar  of  the  case  on  its  way  to  the 
stick;  to  carry  it  beyond  the  stick  and  put 
it  in  place  with  a  flourish  in  the  air;  to 
stand  before  the  case  with  a  bobbing  mo- 
tion, keeping  time  to  each  letter  picked 
up;  and  other  time-consuming  motions 
and  peculiarities  which  became  fixed  with 
those  who  paid  little  attention  to  acquiring 
right  habits,  and  whose  methods  of  setting 
type  seem  ludicrous  to  the  uninitiated. 

Fanning — In  counting  sheets  of  paper,  to 
brush  or  move  them  from  each  other  so 
that  the  edges  are  separated  in  fan-fash- 
ion ;  this  may  be  done  by  grasping  a  quire 
or  two  between  the  fingers  and  turning  up 
the  edges  w^ith  a  rolling  movement,  bring- 
ing them  up  where  they  may  be  counted 
with  the  fingers  of  the  other  hand. 

Pat — Type  composition  in  which  there  are 
many  blanks  or  large  spaces,  enabling  the 
compositor  to  set  a  large  number  of  ems 
in  a  given  time,  as  large  headings,  poetry 
set  open,  double-  and  triple-leaded  matter 
with  many  break-lines,  cuts  measured  in 
with  type,  etc.  Type  set  solid,  with  few  or 
no  blank-lines,  is  lean. 

Fat-face  or  Full-face— k  style  of  type  broader 
or  with  the  heavy  lines  heavier  than  usual : 
Fut-r»t>«'d  I.ef tor. 


of  Technical  Terms  71 

Father  of  the  Chapel — The  presiding  officer 
of  a  chapel  or  organization  of  union  work- 
men in  a  printing  office.  An  old-time  des- 
ignation; now  the  chairman  of  the  chapel. 

Fecit — A  Latin  word  meaning  "  he  has  made 
it,"  frequently  added  to  an  artist's  name 
on  an  engraving  or  picture.  Del.  {delm- 
eavit,  "he  drew  it")  is  sometimes  seen  on 
old  prints  and  drawings  in  similar  use. 

Feeder — A  person  who  supplies  a  printing 
press  with  paper,  one  sheet  at  a  time. 
This  part  of  printing-room  work  was  for- 
merly considered  boy's  work,  but  the  in- 
creasing size  and  complexity  of  modern 
presses  now  call  for  more  skill  and  en- 
durance, and  men  of  experience  are  now 
often  required  to  do  this  work. 

Feed-board —  The  table  on  a  press  upon 
which  white  sheets  are  placed  to  be  sup- 
plied sheet  by  sheet  for  printing. 

Feet  (of  a  t)-pe) — The  bottom  of  the  shank, 
formed  by  breaking  off  the  jet  and  groov- 
ing when  the  type  is  cast.  Type  that  is  not 
standing  perfectly  upright  is  said  to  be 
"off  its  feet." 

Figures — The  ten  characters  commonly  used 
to  represent  numbers  are  known  as  Arabic 
figures:  1234567890.  Roman  numerals 
(IVXLCDM)  are  often  used  in  books 
and  programs  for  chapter  and  paragraph 
numbers  and  other  subdivisions,  but  they 


']2     The  Printer's  Dictionary 

are  not  so  clear  nor  convenient  as  the 
figures,  and  are  not  practicable  for  sta- 
tistical and  tabular  work.  The  Arabic 
figures  are  now  cast  for  all  fonts  of  ty-pe, 
and  they  occupy  boxes  in  the  same  divi- 
sion of  the  type-case  as  the  lower-case 
letters  and  points;  when  the  font  contains 
capitals  and  no  small  letters,  the  accom- 
panying figures  are  usually  kept  in  the 
top  row  of  boxes  above  the  captials.  For 
most  roman  fonts  the  figures  are  cast  on 
bodies  of  the  uniform  thickness  of  an  en- 
quad,  though  they  are  sometimes  made 
wider.  Originally  the  Arabic  figures  were 
of  very  irregular  shapes,  which  were  grad- 
ually modified  to  the  forms  at  present 
known  as  old-style  figures:  1234567890. 
Designers  of  modern  types  have  brought 
the  figures  into  still  greater  uniformity  in 
the  modern  lining  figures:  12345G7890. 
These  two  styles  of  figures  are  distinctive 
features  of  the  old-style  and  the  modern 
designs  of  type-faces;  but  type-founders 
have  of  late  made  old-style  figures  larger 
and  brought  them  on  a  more  uniform  line: 
1234567890.  For  tables  and  for  use  in 
lines  of  capitals  the  figures  on  uniform  line 
are  preferred,  but  for  frequent  numbers  in 
a  paragraph  the  smaller  old-style  figures 
are  better  mates  for  lower-case  letters. 
Fingers — The  grippers  on  a  press  which 
hold  the  sheet  when  printing. 


of  Technical  Terms  j^) 

Fmis — A  Latin  word  used  at  the  end  of  a 
book.  Modern  practice  is  gradually  dis- 
carding its  use. 

Finisher — One  who  finishes  the  binding  of 
a  book.  Also,  in  electrotype  work,  the 
workman  who,  after  the  plate  has  been 
made,  examines  it  for  imperfections,  level- 
ling the  face,  trimming,  and  otherwise 
preparing  it  for  printing. 

First  Form — The  form  which  contains  the 
first  page  of  a  sheet,  the  outside  form, 
usually  the  one  printed  first. 

First  Page — In  imposing,  the  first  page  of  a 
regular  form ;  in  a  work  done  in  eight- 
page  forms,  first  pages  would  be  1,9,  17, 
25,  etc. 

First  Proof — The  first  taken  from  the  type; 
when  errors  have  been  marked  and  cor- 
rected, the  second  proof  is  a  revise.  , 

Fist — A  common  name  for  the  index-mark : 
d^^;  also  called  a  hand. 

Flat  Paper — Paper  in  unfolded  sheets.  Usu- 
ally applied  to  all  kinds  of  writing  papers 
which  are  put  up  fiat  by  the  maker. 

Flat  Cap — A  size  of  writing  paper  14x17 
inches. 

Flat  Proof — A  proof  made  without  under- 
lays, overlays,  or  other  make-ready,  as  of 
an  engraving. 


74     The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Flat  Tint — A  light  color  printed  from  a  flat 
plate,  without  engraved  lines  or  other 
marks,  usually  to  color  a  panel  or  outline. 

Flimsy  —  A  term  applied  to  any  thin  paper, 
such  as  telegraph  copy  is  written  on  in 
newspaper  ofiices ;  tissue-paper  or  mani- 
fold copy. 

Flitters  —  See  Flock  Printing. 

Floating  Accents — The  name  given  in  Eng- 
land to  separate  accent-marks  which  may 
be  placed  beside  any  letter  needed.  In 
America  called  piece  accents  :  r  "V  A  ^  •• 
Made  for  job  faces  and  large  types. 

Flock  Printing —  A  method  of  printing  with 
varnish,  to  which  small  particles  of  wood 
or  silk  are  afterward  made  to  adhere', 
somewhat  in  the  same  manner  as  printing 
with  sizing  and  bronze  powders  or  dry 
colors.  Thin  bits  of  tin.  brass,  and  the 
like,  called  flitters,  are  also  used  in  print- 
ing Christmas  cards  and  other  work,  to 
give  effects  of  frost,  etc. 

Flong —  The  prepared  paper  used  for  mak- 
ing moulds  for  stereotypes. 

Floor  Pi — Type  dropped  on  the  floor  by 
careless  compositors. 

Flourishes — Curved    lines    and  ornaments 
made  for  use  with  lines  of  type,  some- 
times of  brass  and  in  other  cases  of  cast 
metal.     Formerly  popular,       ^_.   ^^ 
but  now  out  of  style : .— g)    -/::!^^  y\ 


of  Technical  Terms  75 

Floret — A  small  flower  or  p^rt  of  a  flower  ;  in 
printing,  the  name  is  given  to  any  flower 
or  leaf-shaped  type  ornament :  .^^  ^  ^ 

Flowers — A  term  given  to  early  type  orna- 
ments made  for  borders  and  decorations  ; 
now  commonly  called  borders  or  florets. 

Fly  —  The  delivery  apparatus  on  a  cylinder 
press.  It  is  usually  a  large  frame  of  long 
sticks  or  fingers  attached  to  a  bar  which 
moves  on  an  axis,  receiving  the  printed 
sheets  one  by  one  from  the  cylinder  and 
flying  them  over  upon  a  receiving  table. 
In  early  days  boys  were  often  employed  to 
take  the  printed  sheets  off  the  tympan  of 
the  hand-press,  to  expedite  the  work  of 
the  pressman ;  early  power-presses  re- 
quired this  work  to  be  done  by  hand. 

Fly-leaf —  A  blank  leaf  at  the  beginning  or 
end  of  a  book ;  it  may  be  inserted  by  the 
binder,  but  may  be  a  blank  leaf  of  the  first 
or  last  sheets  of  the  printed  work. 

Fly-title  —  In  England  this  term  is  sometimes 
applied  to  the  half-title  or  bastard-title, 
but  not  used  in  America. 

Flying  a  frisket — The  operation  of  turning 
down  the  frisket  of  a  hand-press  at  the 
same  time  the  t}'mpan  is  closed  on  the 
form.  A  skillful  performance  formerly 
used  to  hasten  work  but  now  obsolete,  with 
other  operations  which  were  necessar}^ 
when  all  work  was  done  on  hand-presses. 


76     The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Folder — A  small  stick  of  ivor^'.  bone,  steel, 
or  wood,  used  in  folding  sheets  by  hand. 
A  printed  sheet  of  four  or  more  pages  so 
imposed  that  they  follow  each  other  con- 
secutively on  one  side  of  the  paper,  when 
it  is  opened,  like  a  railway  time-table,  etc. 
A  folding  machine  is  often  called  a  folder. 

Folding  Chases  —  A  term  sometimes  applied 
to  chases  used  for  weekly  newspapers  ; 
usually  in  pairs,  with  the  sides  which  fit 
together  thinner  than  the  others ;  more 
frequently  called  twin  chases. 

Folding  Machifie — A  machine  for  folding 
printed  sheets  of  books,  magazines,  and 
newspapers.  For  book  and  magazine  work 
the  folding  machine  is  separate  from  the 
printing  press,  but  for  daily  newspapers 
the  folding  machine  is  attached  to  the 
press,  so  that  the  paper,  unwinding  from 
a  roll,  is  printed  and  then  goes  forward  to 
be  cut  off  and  folded.  In  the  book-folding 
machine  the  sheets  are  fed  to  gauges  or 
points.  A  descending  blade  at  the  mid- 
dle of  the  sheet  forces  the  paper  through 
an  opening  in  the  table  ;  the  paper  is  then 
caught  by  rollers  or  tapes  which  carry  it 
to  another  fold,  and  so  on  until  all  are 
made.  Some  folding  machines  are  made 
to  attach  to  single-  and  double-cylinder 
presses,  and  sheets  are  run  into  them  with- 
out extra  feeding.  Other  machines  fold, 
paste,  and  insert  one  sheet  within  another, 


of  Technical  Terms  ']'] 

or  within  a  cover.  Sheets  to  be  folded  by 
machines  usually  require  the  pages  im- 
posed differently  than  when  the  folding 
is  done  by  hand. 

Folio — A  sheet  folded  once,  consisting  of 
two  leaves  or  four  pages  ;  usually  under- 
stood as  a  sheet  the  size  of  18x24  inches, 
which  gives  a  folded  leaf  i8x  12  inches. 
Also  a  leaf  containing  a  certain  number  of 
words  ;  in  English  law  work  sevent}'-two 
or  ninety  words  constitute  a  folio,  in  New 
York  one  hundred  words.  Also  the  con- 
secutive page-numbers  of  a  book,  pam- 
phlet, or  other  work. 

Folio  Post  —  A  size  of  writing  paper  17x22 
inches. 

Follow  Copy — When  a  compositor  receives 
this  instruction  it  indicates  that  in  matters 
of  punctuation,  use  of  capitals,  italics,  style 
of  type,  peculiar  or  variable  spellings,  etc., 
the  copy  is  to  be  his  guide.  In  many  cases 
the  rules  of  the  house,  the  st)'le  adopted 
for  a  particular  work,  and  other  matters, 
may  not  be  observed  by  the  writer  ;  or 
several  writers  for  one  work  may  varj' 
greatly  in  these  particulars  ;  so  that  it  is 
often  the  compositor's  dutj',  in  setting  the 
t)'pe,  to  make  changes  from  copy  to  keep 
the  work  consistent. 

Font  Case  —  For  holding  reserve  or  surplus 
sorts  ;  oftener  called  sort  case. 


78     The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Font — A  complete  assortment  of  types  of 
one  size  and  face,  containing  a  due  pro- 
portion of  each  letter,  large  and  small, 
points,  figures,  etc.  Formerly  it  was  all 
that  was  cast  at  one  time,  but  it  is  now 
understood  as  the  assortment  w^hich  is  fur- 
nished by  the  foundry  ;  it  may  be  desig- 
nated by  its  weight,  which  is  the  case  with 
small  type  in  large  quantities,  or  by  the 
number  of  letters  it  contains ;  as  in  the 
case  of  larger  sizes,  used  in  small  quan- 
tity, for  jobbing,  display,  and  advertising. 
In  the  latter  case,  the  size  of  a  font  is 
usually  indicated  by  the  number  of  capital 
A,  small  capital  a,  and  lower-case  a  (as 
40  A  20  A  80  a)  it  contains,  the  number  of 
other  letters  varying  according  to  the 
foundry's  prescribed  scheme. 

Foolscap — A  size  of  writing  paper  12^,2  x  16 
inches.  In  England  foolscap  printing 
paper  is  131^  x  17  inches,  writing  paper 
13  j^  X  161!^  inches.  So  called  from  a 
water-mark  of  fool's  cap  and  bells  used 
by  old  paper-makers. 

Foot-line — The  bottom  line  on  a  page,  usu- 
ally blank ;  it  may  sometimes  contain  the 
page-number,  signature-mark,  etc.,  and 
when  the  last  line  of  a  paragraph  will  not 
come  into  the  regular  length,  it  may  take 
the  place  of  the  foot-line,  in  order  to  pre- 
vent the  paragraph  ending  on  the  top  of 
the  next  page. 


of  Technical  Terms  79 

Foot-note — A  note  or  reference  at  the  bot- 
tom of  a  page,  usually  set  in  type  several 
sizes  smaller  than  the  main  text. 

Foot-stick  —  A  piece  of  furniture,  wood  or 
metal,  put  inside  of  a  chase  at  the  short 
side  of  a  form,  against  which  quoins  are 
placed  to  lock  up.  The  long  side  has 
side-sticks.  Before  the  introduction  of 
mechanical  iron  quoins  foot-sticks  and 
side-sticks  were  larger  at  one  end  than 
the  other,  in  order  to  form  a  wedge-space 
into  which  pieces  of  wood  could  be  driven 
and  thus  tighten  up  the  form. 

Fore-edge — The  outer  edge  of  a  book. 

Form — A  page  or  number  of  pages,  engrav- 
ings, or  lines  of  type  locked  in  a  chase 
ready  for  printing.  When  the  lines  of  type 
have  not  been  properly  justified,  or  the 
furniture,  side-sticks,  or  quoins  are  not 
true,  the  form  will  sometimes  spring  — 
that  is,  some  part  will  not  lay  solidly  on 
the  bed  of  the  press.  In  this  case,  spaces, 
quads,  leads,  or  furniture  will  work  up  to 
the  level  of  the  tj-pe  during  printing  and 
show  on  the  white  paper.  When  the  form 
is  taken  from  the  imposing  stone  and  all 
parts  are  of  equal  tightness  and  no  types 
are  loose,  the  form  rises,  or  lifts. 

Form  Rack — For  holding  forms  in  a  slant- 
ing or  perpendicular  position,  before  or 
after  use. 


8o      The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Form  Board — A  shelf  for  holding  forms  ;  a 
letter  board. 

Format — The  size,  form,  proportions,  etc.. 
of  a  book  or  other  work. 

Forty-eight  or  ^Smo  —  A  sheet  of  forty-eight 
leaves.  Like  other  forms,  usually  made 
up  of  a  number  of  smaller  folds  set  into 
each  other. 

Foncarding — The  processes  of  binding  a 
book,  after  the  sheets  are  sewed  until  it  is 
in  the  cove^- ;  the  lettering,  ornamenting, 
and  other  work  to  complete  it.  is  finishing. 

Foul  Case — A  type  case  so  badly  mixed  in 
distributing  or  otherwise  that  it  is  diffi- 
cult to  set  from.  A  foul  proof  is  one  with 
many  errors. 

Foundry  Chase — A  small  chase  made  extra 
thick  and  strong,  for  holding  forms  that 
are  to  be  moulded  for  electrotyping.  etc. 
Forms  to  be  moulded  in  wax  need  extra 
strong  locking  up  to  prevent  letters  or 
lines  from  pulling  out  when  form  is  taken 
from  the  wax. 

Foundry  Proof- — The  final  proof  taken  before 
sending  a  form  to  the  electro  foundry'. 

Fount — Another  spelling  of  font,  used  in 
England. 

Fountain — A  reservoir  for  holding  ink,  and 
attached  to  the  press  ;  usually  with  an  ar- 
rangement of  rollers  which  carry  ink  to 
the  distributing  table  or  form-rollers. 


of  Technical  Terms  8i 

Fractions — Made  in  several  styles.  Common 
fractions  like  these  W  are  cast  in  one 
piece  on  en  bodies,  and  are  properly  used 
with  modern  roman  figures,  thus :  5;^  6^. 
Another  kind  are  piece  fractions,  each 
figure  cast  separately  on  bodies  one  half 
the  size  of  the  type  they  are  used  with : 
\'  ^  T  sV  11  -%-'  They  may  be  com- 
bined  to  make  any  desired  fraction.  For 
use  with  old-style  figures,  fractions  like 
these  are  provided,  Y^  %  Ya  !/?>  V^  ^tc, 
made  in  one  piece  on  em  bodies.  This 
style  is  made  both  with  old-style  and  with 
modern  figures,  and  in  open-faced  matter 
gives  greater  clearness  than  the  thinner 
en  fraction.  Another  and  later  st}'le  are 
the  self-spacing  piece  fractions  made  on 
full  bodies  of  an  en  thiclmess ;  there  are 
four  sets  of  the  ten  figures  —  one  on  the 
upper  half  of  the  body,  12346^  ^nd  an- 
other on  the  lower  half,  1236?  t\vo  other 
sets  have  diagonal  strokes,  one  below  and 
the  other  above  the  figure,  \  "^i^/^h.  '2  'z  i. 
These  are  combined  thus  :  Vi  Is  %3  ^^/iio. 
In  the  absence  of  proper  types,  make- 
shift fractions  like  these  are  sometimes 
employed  :  1-2,  3-4,  2-3. 

Fraktur — The  name  of  the  text  or  black- 
letter  used  for  German  body-type. 

Frame — The  stand  on  which  type  cases  are 
placed.  To  have  a  situation  in  a  news- 
paper or  book  room  is  to  "hold  a  frame." 


82      The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Friar — A  light  place  in  a  printed  page, 
caused  by  imperfect  distribution  or  lack 
of  ink.  A  black  spot  is  a  monk. 

Frisket — A  light  iron  frame  covered  with 
paper  and  attached  by  hinges  to  the  tym- 
pan  of  a  hand-press,  to  hold  the  sheet  in 
place  and  protect  it  while  being  printed. 
An  impression  is  first  made  upon  the 
frisket  sheet  and  the  printed  portions  cut 
away ;  when  the  printing  paper  is  placed 
upon  the  t}'mpan  the  frisket  is  turned 
down,  exposing  only  the  portions  of  the 
paper  that  are  to  be  printed.  In  this  way 
margins  and  blank  spaces  of  the  sheet 
are  protected  from  the  inky  or  oily  furni- 
ture, chase,  etc.,  and  the  sheet  is  laid  on 
the  form  with  less  liability  of  slurring  than 
when  laid  on  loosely.  A  frisket  is  often 
employed  on  rotar)'  job  presses,  either 
wholly  or  partially  covering  the  printed 
sheet,  as  may  be  required.  In  this  case, 
the  frisket  sheet  is  fastened  to  the  mov- 
able grippers,  being  stretched  across  in 
front  of  the  form,  and  an  impression 
made  on  it.  The  printed  parts  are  then 
cut  out,  allowing  the  form  to  print  on  the 
white  sheet  lying  on  the  tympan  beneath. 

Fro7it  Pages — Those  in  the  first  half  of  a 
folded  signature. 

Frontispiece — The  picture  facing  the  title- 
page  of  a  book. 


of  Technical  Terms  83 

Fudge — To  devise ;  to  contrive  ;  to  make 
shift ;  to  work  without  proper  tools. 

Fugitive  Colors — Colors  or  inks  which  are 
not  permanent,  and  change  or  fade  when 
exposed  to  light. 

Full  Color — When  ample  amount  of  ink  has 
been  used  in  printing. 

Full-face  —  See  Fat-faced. 

Full  Measure  —  Type  composed  to  the  full 
width  of  the  page,  and  not  half-measure, 
or  other  fractional  division. 

Full  Page — A  page  filled  from  top  to  bottom 
with  type  lines,  as  distinct  from  a  short 
page  like  the  first  or  last  page  of  a  chapter. 

Full  Point  or  Full  Stop  —  The  period  is  often 
thus  called. 

Full  Press  —  When  printing  was  done  on 
hand-presses,  two  men  were  accustomed 
to  operate  it  —  one  to  roll  the  ink,  the 
other  to  put  in  the  sheet  and  pull  the 
impression  ;  this  was  working  a  full  press. 

Furniture — In  printing-office  speech  this 
term  is  given  to  all  pieces  of  wood  and 
metal  designed  to  fill  blank  spaces  be- 
tween pages  and  around  t}'pe-forms  when 
locked  in  a  chase.  It  is  made  in  many 
lengths  and  widths,  but  the  sizes  are  usu- 
ally mutiples  of  12 -point,  or  pica.  The 
largest  pieces  are  of  cherry  or  pine,  three 
feet  long  and  ten  picas  wide.  Thin  strips 
of  wood  of  the  width  of  great-primer  (or 


84      The  Printer's  Dictionary 

i8-point)  and  thinner  are  known  as  reglet. 
Metal  furniture,  cast  with  hollow  spaces 
to  lighten  its  weight,  is  usually  not  longer 
than  one  foot,  and  ten  picas  wide.  It  has 
the  advantages  over  wood  of  greater  ac- 
curacy in  body,  not  warping  when  wet, 
and  yielding  less  under  the  pressure  of 
locking  up.  It  is  made  in  several  styles, 
the  most  common  being  hollow  frames, 
with  bars  or  braces  lengthwise  and  cross- 
wise in  the  larger  pieces.  Quotation  furni- 
ture is  hollow  on  one  side  only,  the  top 
being  solid,  like  a  large  quad.  Reversible 
furniture  is  concaved  on  the  top  and  bot- 
tom, but  with  a  solid  area,  and  presents 
both  ends  of  each  piece  shaped  like  this : 
M .  This  kind  is  serviceable  for  gutter- 
margins  and  in  other  places  where  lock-up 
pressure  is  needed  only  on  two  opposite 
sides.  The  smallest  piece  of  cast  metal 
furniture  is  3  x  2  picas,  and  other  sizes  in- 
crease by  picas  and  multiples  of  pica  in 
length  and  width.  Labor-saving  fonts  con- 
tain an  assortment  of  different  sizes  which 
may  be  combined  in  many  ways.  Steel 
furniture  has  now  become  common,  and 
has  advantages  in  filling  large  blanks.  It 
consists  of  pieces  of  machine  -  finished 
steel,  in  pairs,  w'ith  notched  ends  so  that 
they  fit  into  each  other  ;  thus,  four  pieces 
are  placed  around  the  blank  space,  form- 
ing a  hollow  square,  and  held  together 
firmly  by  the  pressure  of  locking  up. 


of  Technical  Terms  85 

QallE  V — The  shallow  tray  used  by  com- 
positors to  hold  type  after  the  lines  have 
been  set  in  the  composing-stick.  It  con- 
sists usually  of  a  thin  brass  bottom  with 
three  perpendicular  sides  a  little  more 
than  half  an  inch  high ;  the  fourth  side 
is  open  to  permit  of  the  type,  when  tied 
up,  being  pushed  off  on  to  the  imposing- 
stone  or  elsewhere.  The  usual  full-length 
galley  is  about  two  feet  long  and  from 
four  to  seven  inches  wide,  but  many  wider 
sizes  may  now  be  obtained.  Short,  wide 
galleys  of  various  sizes  are  used  by  job 
compositors  for  making-up  book  pages 
and  for  other  special  uses.  Galleys  made 
entirely  of  wood,  and  others  made  of  wood 
and  zinc  are  sometimes  used,  but  the 
most  serviceable  galleys  are  of  brass  or 
brass-lined. 

Galley  Press  — A  proof-press  upon  which  the 
galley  of  type  may  be  placed  and  proof 
taken.  It  consists- of  a  flat  iron  bed  with 
two  sides  high  enough  to  form  tracks 
upon  which  an  iron  cylinder,  covered  with 
cloth  or  felt,  is  made  to  move  ;  when  the 
t)'pe  has  been  rolled  with  ink,  the  sheet 
of  paper  is  laid  on,  and  the  cylinder  is 
rolled  over  to  make  the  impression ;  a  style 
of  proof-press  used  mostly  in  newspaper 
and  book  rooms. 

Galley  Slaves — A  term  of  derision  formerly 
applied  to  compositors. 


86      The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Galley  Rack  — Made  in  several  forms,  for 
holding  galleys  of  composed  type.  It  has 
brackets  or  shelves  which  hold  the  galley 
tilted  sideways,  so  that  t}'pe  lines  will 
stand  securely  against  the  lower  side  of 
the  galley. 

Galley  Rest — A  pair  of  brackets  or  similar 
attachment  placed  on  the  compositor's 
stand  to  hold  the  galley,  so  that  the  cases 
may  be  free  for  composing. 

Galley-lock — A  device  attached  to  or  placed 
in  a  galley,  to  hold  the  composed  type 
securely  while  it  is  being  proved  or  wait- 
ing ;  made  in  many  varieties,  usually  con- 
sisting of  a  long  side-stick  with  a  clamp- 
ing arrangement  on  the  sides  and  at  the 
foot  of  the  type  matter. 

Gaily  Universal  Press — Invented  by  Merritt 
Gaily  of  New  York,  in  1869  ;  a  platen  job 
press  of  strong  construction  and  embody- 
ing several  distinctive  principles. 

Galvafioglyphy — A  method  of  etching  upon 
a  zinc  plate  covered  with  varnish. 

Galvatiography — A  process  of  making  cop- 
per-plate engravings  by  the  action  of  a 
galvanic  battery. 

Galvajioplastic  Process — A  method  of  obtain- 
ing electrotypes  of  fossil  fishes  and  simi- 
lar objects,  which  can  be  printed  on  a 
typographic  press. 


of  Technical  Terms  Sy 

Gatheri7ig  —  In  book-binding,  to  collect  one 
copy  of  each  signature  to  make  the  com- 
plete book.  The  folded  sheets  or  signa- 
tures are  placed  in  piles  in  their  proper 
order,  each  pile  containing  the  copies  of 
one  signature  ;  one  copy  is  taken  from 
each  pile,  beginning  with  the  first  signa- 
ture and  ending  with  the  last.  This  oper- 
ation is  repeated,  each  round  of  the  piles 
making  a  complete  book.  This  work  is 
usually  performed  by  girls,  who  pass  up 
and  down  beside  a  long  table  to  collect 
the  sheets.  In  some  establishments  large 
editions  are  gathered  from  a  moving  table 
or  platform  upon  which  the  signatures  are 
placed,  thus  enabling  a  person  to  gather 
while  seated  or  standing  still. 

Gauge — A  piece  of  wood  or  metal  (reglet, 
slug,  or  brass  rule)  used  to  determine  the 
length  of  pages,  etc.  Also  a  piece  of  wood, 
cardboard,  or  metal  (usually  a  quadrat) 
pasted  on  the  tympan-sheet  of  a  job  press 
as  a  guide  to  feed  the  sheets  to. 

Gauge  Pin — A  flat  pin  inserted  in  the  tym- 
pan  sheet,  as  a  feeding  guide ;  made  in 
many  varieties. 

Gelatine  Printing— Gelatine  is  a  refined  form 
of  glue  and  is  used  for  many  purposes  in 
printing.  It  is  the  basis  of  the  process 
known  as  the  hektograph,  by  which  any- 
thing written  with  copying  ink,  after  being 
transferred  to  a  sheet  of  gelatine,  may  be 


88      The  Printer's  Dictionary 

again  transferred  from  the  gelatine  to 
sheets  of  blank  paper.  Several  processes 
of  photo-gelatine  printing,  known  as  alber- 
type,  collotype,  heliotype,  etc.,  are  verj- 
much  like  lithography,  a  coating  of  gela- 
tine upon  a  sheet  of  glass  or  metal  being 
used  instead  of  the  lithographic  stone.  The 
gelatine  method  is  also  used  to  produce  a 
plate  which  may  be  moulded  and  the 
mould  used  to  produce  an  electrotype  of 
the  subject  in  relief.  By  etching  through  a 
gelatine  film  on  copper  an  intaglio  plate  is 
made,  which  is  known  as  a  photo-gravure. 
See  Hektograph,  Heliotype^  PJioto-gravure, 
Process  Engraving. 

Genealogical  Work — This  class  of  printing 
differs  from  ordinary  book  work  because 
of  the  excessive  use  of  abbreviations,  pe- 
culiar indentions,  different  sizes  of  types, 
use  of  capitals,  italics,  etc.  It  often  requires 
the  re-printing  of  old  documents,  with  old- 
time  spelling  and  phraseolog}',  and  usually 
has  pages  of  difficult  pedigree  charts. 

Geometrical  Signs — See  Mathematical  Signs. 

Get  In  or  Take  In — To  thin  space  in  setting 
type,  so  that  a  word  or  syllable  may  come 
into  the  line.  To  drive  out  is  to  wide  space. 
A  general  rule  for  compositors,  when  lines 
are  set  solid,  is  to  get  in  a  word  if  possible 
by  thin  spacing ;  if  lines  are  wide-leaded, 
to  drive  out —  that  is,  space  wider  than  the 
regulation  three-to-em  space. 


of  Technical  Terms  89 

Glazed  Board — The  sheets  of  mill-board 
used  by  binders,  and  for  packing  tympans 
and  printing  cylinders,  etc. 

Glazed  Paper — A  paper  with  hard,  glossy 
surface,  usually  finished  on  one  side  only, 
used  for  box  labels,  etc. 

Gloss  Ink — An  ink  containing  .extra  quantity 
of  varnish  which  gives  it  a  glossy  appear- 
ance when  dry ;  much  used  for  printing 
book  and  pamphlet  covers. 

Glossary —  A  dictionary  of  difficult,  obscure, 
or  antiquated  terms,  or  words  of  special 
meaning,  in  any  language,  book,  or  calling. 

Glycerine  —  A  sweet,  viscid  liquid,  oily,  non- 
crystalizing,  and  colorless.  It  is  used  in 
many  ways  in  printing  rooms.  Glycerine 
rubbed  on  the  tympan  sheet  is  better  than 
common  oil  to  prevent  offset  in  backing 
up  a  sheet.  Glycerine  is  used  in  the  com- 
position of  rollers,  and,  when  rubbed  on 
their  surface,  is  useful  in  reviving  old  rol- 
lers. It  is  also  used  to  thin  out  and  render 
workable  many  kinds  of  inks. 

Gold  Bronze  —  A  fine  powder  used  in  print- 
ing ;  it  is  dusted  on  after  the  sheet  has 
been  printed  with  sizing.    See  Bronzing. 

Gold  Ink —  Ink  of  golden  color,  used  as  a 
cheap  substitute  for  gold  bronze  and  siz- 
ing ;  it  gives  very  little  lustre,  except  when 
printed  on  glossy  paper. 

Good  Color —  Printing  neither  too  black  nor 
too  light. 


90     The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Gold  Leaf —  Very  thin  leaves  of  beaten  goldi 
sometimes  used  in  tj'pography,  but  mostly 
for  book  covers  and  edges.  The  ancient 
Egyptians  hammered  out  gold  leaf  between 
pieces  of  the  intestines  of  an  ox,  while  the 
Greeks  and  Romans  employed  parchment. 
This  process  is  still  adhered  to,  as  no  other 
has  been  invented  to  supersede  hand  work 
in  beating  the  leaf  to  the  required  thinness. 
The  beaten  leaves  are  laid  in  books,  the 
paper  of  which  is  rubbed  with  chalk  to 
prevent  the  leaf  from  sticking  to  it.  When 
gold  leaf  is  used  for  book  covers,  a  dried 
glaire  is  first  put  on  the  cloth,  the  leaf  laid 
on  and  the  impression  made  with  a  hot  die 
or  a  type-form. 

Golden  Type — The  name  given  by  William 
Morris  to  a  style  of  t}'pe  designed  by  him  in 
189 1,  based  on  the  roman  t}'pe  of  Nicholas 
Jenson,  an  early  Venetian  printer.  Familiar 
now  as  Jenson  Oldstyle  and  by  other  names. 

Golditig  Jobber — A  platen  job  press  made  in 
several  sizes,  from  8x12  inches  to  15x21 
inches,  by  Golding  &  Co.  of  Boston. 

Gordon  Press  —  A  popular  platen  press  in- 
vented by  George  P.  Gordon  about  1858. 
Several  styles  are  made  by  different  manu- 
facturers, based  on  the  principle  of  the  old 
Gordon  —  that  is,  automatic  closing  and 
opening  of  bed  and  platen,  rollers  moving 
up  and  down  over  the  form,  carrying  ink 
from  a  revolving  disc  above,  etc. 


of  Technical  Terms  91 

Good  Copy  —  When  it  is  plain,  and  carefully 
prepared,  so  as  to  give  the  compositor 
little  or  no  trouble. 

Goose  —  The  abbreviation  for  wayzgoose,  a 
festival  given  to  their  workmen  by  master- 
printers  in  England. 

Gothic —  Type-founders  and  printers  in  this 
country  use  this  word  to  describe  a  style 
of  type-face  of  the  plainest  and  simplest 
form,  having  no  serifs  or  other  useless 
strokes,  and  with  lines  of  unvarying  thick- 
ness: GOTHIC  TYPES.  English  printers 
call  this  style  of  type  sans-serif.  Among 
bibliographers  and  scholars  the  name 
gothic  is  applied  to  certain  old  st}4e  forms 
of  black-letter,  which  is  the  true  gothic 
character.  The  gothic  types  of  this  coun- 
try are  made  in  many  varieties,  described 
as  heavy,  or  black,  light,  extended,  con- 
densed, extra  condensed,  italic  or  sloping, 
as  well  as  by  other  distinctive  names. 
They  are  used  very  largely  in  newspaper 
and  other  advertising,  and  in  commercial 
and  poster  printing,  but  are  not  accept- 
able for  book  work. 

Great  Primer — A  size  of  type  nearly  equiv- 
alent to  i8-point;  two-line  bourgeois. 

Greeii — An  inking  roller  is  said  to  be  green 
when  it  is  new ;  if  not  properly  seasoned 
it  may  remain  green,  and  in  warm,  damp 
weather  will  cause  trouble  by  not  taking 
up  and  distributing  the  ink  properly. 


92     The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Grippers — On  job  presses,  the  iron  fingers 
attached  to  the  platen  to  keep  the  sheet 
in  place  and  take  it  off  the  type  after  the 
impression  ;  on  cylinders,  the  apparatus 
which  grips  and  carries  the  sheet  around 
to  the  impression. 

Gripper  Margin — The  edge  of  a  sheet  that 
is  caught  by  the  grippers  on  a  cylinder 
press.  The  gripper  margin  of  the  form  is 
that  nearest  the  grippers  when  they  carry 
the  sheet  around  to  be  printed. 

Ground  Block — A  block  used  to  print  a  tint 
or  flat  color,  upon  which  other  colors  are 
afterward  to  be  printed ;  a  tint-block. 

Grover  Composing  Stick — Made  of  steel,  hav- 
ing the  knee  held  in  place  by  a  clamp,  in- 
stead of  a  screw,  which  secures  it  to  the 
back. 

Guards  or  Guard-lines — Strips  of  metal,  t}-pe- 
high  or  a  little  higher,  placed  around  type 
forms  which  are  to  be  moulded  for  elec- 
trotyping ;  sometimes  called  bearers.  They 
serve  to  protect  the  edges  of  the  plate, 
as  well  as  aid  in  securing  a  mould  of  even 
depth  on  the  edge  and  center  of  the  form. 
In  book-binding,  guards  are  strips  of 
paper  inserted  in  the  backs  of  books  for 
plates  to  be  pasted  on. 

Guide — An  arrangement  for  holding  the 
sheet  of  copy  on  the  upper  case.  It  may 
be  a  simple  piece  of  reglet  or  slug  held  by 
a  string,  or  a  more  elaborate  affair  such 


of  Technical  Terms  93 

as  is  furnished  by  supply  houses.  It  is  use- 
ful when  the  sheet  of  copy  is  large,  with 
much  small  writing  or  figures  in  tabular 
form,  as  it  helps  to  indicate,  without  loss 
of  time,  the  place  at  which  the  compositor 
is  setting,  but  for  ordinary  copy  a  guide  is 
liable  to  be  more  bothersome  than  useful. 
Feed  guides  or  gauges,  to  place  the  sheets 
against,  are  fastened  on  the  tympan  of  job 
presses  ;  cylinder  presses  that  print  single 
sheets  also  have  guides  for  feeding  sheets 
to,  so  that  the  printing  may  be  in  exactly 
the  same  place  on  each  sheet. 

Gummed  Paper — Made  in  various  colors, 
but  usually  of  strong  quality,  for  labels, 
etc.  It  is  gummed  in  large  sheets  before 
printing,  and  if  not  skillfully  handled  is 
very  troublesome  to  feed  into  the  press, 
because  of  its  tendency  to  curl  up  when 
exposed  to  air. 

Guilkniets — French  quotation  marks.  They 
differ  from  those  used  in  English  or  Ger- 
man, their  form  being  like  this  :    «  » 

Gutter — The  blank  space  which  gives  the 
back,  or  binding,  margin  of  a  book  sheet. 
Each  page  of  a  book  or  pamphlet  has  a  top 
margin,  an  outside  margin,  a  foot  margin, 
and  back  or  gutter  margin.  See  Imposition. 

Guttersfiipes  —  Small  hand-bills  and  other 
advertisements  pasted  on  the  pavements, 
along  the  edges  of  gutters,  etc.  A  method 
of  advertising  not  now  common. 


94      The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Gutter  Sticks — The  furniture  used  to  make 
the  back  margins  of  book  pages. 

^  —  In  type-founding  the  capital  H  and 
lower-case  m  are  first  made  to  line  at  the 
bottom,  and  the  position  of  all  other  char- 
acters fixed  by  these  standards  —  the  H 
determining  the  height  of  all  tall  letters, 
and  the  m  the  height  of  the  body-part  of 
the  small  letters.  For  this  reason.  t)pe- 
founders  require  a  sample  H  and  m  of 
fonts  for  which  extra  letters  or  sorts  are 
ordered.  The  adoption  of  the  new  uni- 
form lining  systems,  known  as  American 
Line,  Standard  Line.  Uniform  Line,  etc.. 
by  which  all  type-faces  of  certain  classes 
on  the  same  body  are  cast  to  line  exactly 
with  each  other,  makes  this  requirement 
unnecessar)'^  when  ordering  sorts  of  these 
"lining"  faces. 

Hair  Spaces — Very  thin  spaces,  less  than  the 
five-to-em  in  the  smaller  sizes  of  types ; 
for  large  sizes  pieces  of  leads  and  cards 
are  used  for  hair  spaces.  Copper  and  brass 
spaces,  one-half  point  and  one  point  in 
thickness,  are  made  for  sizes  of  12 -point 
and  larger.  Hair  spaces  greatly  facilitate 
the  work  of  letter-spacing  and  justifying, 
but  they  are  sparingly  pro\ided  in  the 
average  composing  room,  because  very 
few  compositors  will  care  for  them  prop- 
erly.   See  Copper  Thin  Spaces, 


of  Technical  Terms  95 

Hair-line  —  Used  to  describe  any  very  fine 
or  delicate  line  in  type,  brass  rule,  or  en- 
graving ;  commonly  applied  to  any  char- 
acter which  is  very  light  throughout. 

Half  Case — A  type  case  half  the  regular 
length,  or  about  16^  inches. 

Half  Chase  —  One  of  a  pair  of  chases  which 
are  to  be  used  together,  as  on  the  fiat  bed 
of  a  cylinder  press.  They  are  usually  made 
with  the  sides  which  lay  together  thinner 
and  a  little  higher  than  the  other  parts. 
Sometimes  one  chase  will  have  projecting 
pins  which  fit  into  notches  of  its  mate. 

Half-diamond  Indention  —  When  successive 
lines  are  indented  at  both  ends,  each 
one  being  shorter  than  the  preced- 
ing line,  like  this  paragraph; 
common  in  title-pages. 

Half-title— The  title  put  at  the  head  of  the 
first  chapter  of  a  book  ;  now  often  applied 
to  the  bastard  title,  or  brief  title  which 
precedes  the  main  title  page  of  a  book. 

Halftone —  An  engraved  plate  made  by  pho- 
tographic and  chemical  methods,  in  which 
the  surface  or  printing  part  is  composed 
of  a  series  of  fine  dots.  A  halftone  proc-  \/ 
ess  plate  is  made  by  photographing  the 
picture  through  a  screen  interposed  be- 
tween the  copy  and  sensitive  plate  in  a 
camera.  This  screen  is  placed  near  the 
plate  and,  the  light  passing  through  it, 
the  object  on  the  negative  is  broken  up 


96     The  Printer's  Dictionary 

into  a  mass  of  minute  squares,  or  dots, 
which  are  larger  or  smaller  as  the  corre- 
sponding parts  of  the  copy  are  darker  or 
lighter.  This  screened  negative  is  then 
placed  beside  a  polished,  sensitized  cop- 
per plate,  and  after  exposure  to  light  it  is 
further  developed  and  manipulated  so  as 
to  protect  the  dots  from  the  action  of  the 
acid  with  which  it  is  afterward  etched. 
After  the  etching  is  completed  the  plate 
is  trimmed  and  mounted  type-high. 

Half  Sheet — When  a  book  form  is  imposed 
so  that  all  the  pages  of  a  sheet  are  in  one 
form  ;  an  impression  being  made,  the  sheet 
is  turned  and  another  impression  made 
on  the  back,  thus  making  two  copies  on 
one  sheet ;  when  cut  in  two,  each  half  sheet 
contains  an  impression  of  all  the  pages 
in  the  form.  This  is  the  most  common 
method  of  imposition,  as  it  permits  of  more 
certain  register  and  errors  in  imposition  or 
margins  are  more  readily  discovered, 

Hamilton  Job  Case — A  full-size  t}'pe  case  for 
holding  only  capitals,  points,  and  figures, 
in  which  the  boxes  are  enlarged  to  twice 
the  usual  width ;  made  by  the  Hamilton 
Manufacturing  Co.  of  Wisconsin. 

Handbill — A  small  printed  advertisement 
or  notice,  usually  on  common  news  or  book 
paper,  and  intended  to  be  passed  to  per- 
sons on  the  street,  left  at  doors,  or  posted 
on  walls. 


of  Technical  Terms  97 

Hand — The  index  mark  |I^^  is  sometimes 
so  called. 

Handful —  A  quantity  of  type  which  is  taken 
in  the  hand  at  one  time  without  being  tied 
with  a  cord,  when  distributing  or  making 
up ;  usually  three  or  four  inches  of  a  col- 
umn or  snrall  page. 

Ha7id-i7iker — A  hand  roller  for  inking  type. 
When  printing  was  done  chiefly  on  hand- 
presses  many  contrivances  were  invented 
whereby  the  inking  could  be  done  by  the 
one  man  who  operated  the  press,  in  order 
to  dispense  with  the  second  man  or  boy. 
These  contrivances  were  usually  frames 
or  stands  placed  on  the  side  opposite  the 
pressman,  and  held  two  or  more  rollers 
with  ink  distributed  upon  them  which 
could  be  pulled  back  and  forth  across 
the  form ;  later  devices  enabled  them  to 
be  worked  automatically,  as  when  the  bed 
of  the  press  was  rolled  out  a  pulley  was 
wound  up  which  caused  the  roller  to  pass 
over  the  form  when  the  frisket  was  raised. 

Hand  Letters — Types  fixed  on  handles,  to  be 
stamped  by  hand,  used  by  book  binders  ; 
they  are  usually  made  of  brass,  because 
they  must  be  heated  for  gold  stamping. 

Hanghig  Indention — That  form  of  paragraph 
which  is  set  with  the  first  line  full  length 
and  subsequent  lines  all  indented,  as  in 
these  pages  ;  usually  employed  in  diction- 
aries, catalogues,  price-lists,  etc. 


98     The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Hand-made  Paper — That  which  is  made  en- 
tirely by  hand,  in  distinction  from  paper 
made  by  machinery.  The  slow  and  tedious 
process  of  making  paper  by  hand  renders 
it  too  expensive  for  ordinar)'  use,  and  it  is 
chiefly  employed  for  choice  work  in  small 
quantities.  It  is  made  in  smaller  sheets 
than  the  machine-made  product,  is  of 
stronger  quality  and  rougher  surface,  and 
has  deckle  edges. 

Hand-press — That  style  of  press  upon  which 
all  or  nearly  all  the  operations  are  per- 
formed by  manual  labor.  It  was  the  first 
form  of  the  printing  press,  and  consisted 
of  an  upright  wooden  frame  between  the 
posts  of  which  a  plane  surface  (the  bed) 
with  the  type-form  upon  it,  was  placed  : 
above  the  bed  was  another  flat  surface, 
face  down,  which  was  operated  by  a  screw 
or  contrivance  of  levers,  by  which  the  im- 
pression was  made  upon  the  face  of  the 
type.  The  early  hand-press  was  made  en- 
tirely of  wood  ;  later  a  stone  was  used  for 
the  bed,  and  the  bed  was  made  to  move  in 
and  out  from  under  the  platen,  or  impres- 
sion surface,  to  facilitate  inking  and  put- 
ting on  and  taking  off  the  sheets.  About 
1800  Lord  Stanhope,  an  Englishman, 
made  several  improvements  in  the  hand- 
press,  substituting  iron  for  wood  and  ar- 
ranging a  series  of  levers  by  which  a 
stronger  impression  could  be  made  with 
less  labor.     Since  then  many  varieties  of 


of  Technical  Terms  99 

hand-presses  have  been  made,  and  several 
styles  of  iron  machines  are  in  common  use 
for  pulling  proofs  and  similar  work  in 
printing  offices  everywhere. 

Harris  Rule  Case  —  A  popular  style  of  case 
for  holding  small  assortments  of  labor- 
saving  brass  rules  ;  it  is  quarter  the  size  of 
a  regular  case,  and  four  of  them  will  set 
into  a  blank  case.  Because  of  its  small 
size  it  is  convenient  to  carry  from  place 
to  place  or  to  lay  on  the  compositor's  stand 
while  he  is  using  it. 

Hard  Packing — In  making  ready  a  form  on 
the  press,  the  sheets  of  paper  and  card- 
board which  cover  the  platen  or  cylinder 
may  be  hard  or  soft  according  to  the 
nature  of  the  work.  Thus  engravings,  new 
type  faces,  etc.,  on  smooth,  dry  paper  are 
printed  from  hard  packing  in  order  to  give 
sharp,  clear  impressions.  Soft  packing  is 
employed  for  forms  containing  a  mixture 
of  old,  worn  type,  stereotypes,  and  for 
work  which  must  be  hurried,  like  newspa- 
pers and  posters.  See  Makifig  Ready. 

Hard  Paper — That  which  has  a  hard,  smooth 
surface,  mostly  writing  paper,  which,  be- 
cause of  its  sizing,  is  harder  to  print  upon 
than  the  ordinary  book  paper ;  it  requires 
a  special  ink  and  a  stronger  impression. 

Head-band — The  piece  of  silk  or  cotton  used 
to  give  ornamental  finish  at  the  top  and 
bottom  of  the  back  of  a  bound  book. 


lOO  The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Head — The  top  of  a  page  or  book,  or  the  title 
of  an  article  in  a  newspaper,  etc. 

Head  and  Tail — The  top  and  bottom  of  a 
book. 

Heading  Chase — A  'ong,  narrow  chase  used 
for  locking  up  blank-book  headings  and 
similar  work. 

Head-line — The  top-line  or  title  of  a  news- 
paper or  book  page  ;  the  heading  of  a 
notice  or  article. 

Head-piece — The  ornamental  panel  or  pic- 
ture placed  at  the  top  of  a  page  in  a  book, 
usually  at  the  beginnings  of  chapters, 
where  the  open  space  left  by  the  sinking 
of  the  heading  is  utilized  for  decoration. 
Head-pieces,  tail-pieces  and  initials  are 
used  to  give  variety  to  the  text  of  plain 
type  pages  ;  stock  patterns  and  conven- 
tionalized designs  are  common,  although 
many  works  are  now  decorated  with  spe- 
cial designs  appropriate  for  the  text.  The 
most  pleasing  effects  are  obtained  when 
the  head-pieces,  initials,  and  tail-pieces  of 
a  book  are  uniform  in  style  and  not  too 
prominent  or  obtrusive. 

Head  of  the  Sheet — In  presswork,  the  edge  of 
the  sheet  which  is  fed  to  the  lower  guides. 
The  corresponding  part  of  the  form  is  the 
head  of  the  form. 

Heap — This  term  is  often  applied  to  the 
quantity  of  white  paper  given  at  one  time 
to  the  pressman  to  print. 


of  Technical  Terms        loi 

Hectograph  or  Hektograph  —  A  copying  pro- 
cess for  multiplying  written  or  printed 
copies  by  means  of  a  sheet  of  gelatine.  The 
writing  is  done  on  a  sheet  of  paper  with 
copying  ink  ;  this  sheet  is  then  laid  face 
down  on  the  gelatine,  which  receives  the 
ink  ;  when  fresh  sheets  are  pressed  upon 
the  gelatine  thus  treated  the  writing  is 
transferred  to  them,  and  copies  are  thus 
duplicated  till  the  ink  is  exhausted;  twenty 
to  a  hundred  copies  may  be  made  from  one 
prepared  pad.    See  Gelatine  Printing. 

Height-to- Paper — The  height  of  a  t)'pe  com- 
pared with  its  mates.  Type-founders  in 
this  country  have  a  standard  for  height-  to- 
paper  which  is  ^%oo  of  an  inch  ;  but  many 
causes  interfere,  during  manufacture  and 
afterward,  which  make  variations  from 
this  standard  quite  common.  Types  made 
at  different  times,  or  from  different  moulds 
and  matrices,  or  because  of  differences  of 
temperature  at  casting,  will  often  show  in- 
equalities in  height;  types  which  have  been 
copper-faced  or  nickeled  will  be  slightly 
higher  because  of  the  additional  film  on 
the  original  face  ;  old  or  worn  types  when 
used  with  new  will  be  lower.  These  and 
other  causes  tend  to  make  the  face  of  a 
form  composed  of  many  kinds  of  types 
and  engravings  more  or  less  uneven  and 
add  greatly  to  the  work  of  making  ready 
on  the  press.    See  Making  Ready. 


I02    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Heliogravure — A  French  process  of  photo- 
graphing and  etching  pictures  on  copper  ; 
a  print  made  by  this  method. 

Heliotype  Printing  —  A  method  of  printing 
from  a  gelatine  film  upon  which  the  pic- 
ture has  been  transferred  by  photography. 
From  an  ordinary  negative  is  made  a  posi- 
tive from  which  a  direct  impression  in  ink 
can  be  made  on  a  printing  press.  See  Gel- 
atine Printing. 

Hell  or  Hell-box — The  box  or  receptacle  into 
which  broken  or  discarded  type  is  thrown  ; 
sometimes  the  "old  shoe"  or  "boot." 

Hempel  Quoin — A  metal  quoin  used  for  lock- 
ing up  forms  for  printing.  It  consists  of 
two  wedge-shaped  pieces  which  fit  into 
each  other  so  that  when  they  are  moved 
laterally  by  means  of  a  key  the  thickness 
of  the  quoin  is  increased.  It  was  invented 
by  Henry  A.  Hempel  about  1878,  and  has 
since  been  generally  used  in  all  American 
printing  offices. 

Hens — The  end-pieces  of  the  brace  ;  , x 

,, ^ ^ ;  the  middle-piece  is  the  cock. 

Hiatus — An  omission  or  defect  in  written  or 
printed  text,  where  some  part  is  lost  or 
effaced. 

Hieroglyphic  —  A  sacred  character;  origin- 
ally, the  picture-writing  of  ancient  Egyp- 
tian priests.  In  modern  use.  any  character 
which  has,  or  is  supposed  to  have,  a  hid- 
den or  mysterious  meaning. 


of  Technical  Terms        103 

High-to-li7ie — When  a  letter  or  word  is  above 
the  line  of  its  fellows ;  like  this  it  is  low- 
to-line. 

High  Spaces,  Quads,  and  Leads — Used  in  type 
composition  when  it  is  to  be  electrotyped  ; 
they  are  nearly  as  high  as  the  shoulder  of 
the  type  and  thus  leave  no  small  holes  (as 
in  the  case  of  ordinary  low  spaces  and 
quads)  into  which  the  moulding  wax  finds 
its  way  to  render  good  moulding  difficult. 
Low  spaces,  quads,  and  leads  are  neces- 
sary when  the  type  is  to  be  printed  from 
direct,  and  much  electrotyping  is  done 
from  forms  thus  set ;  but  for  fonts  of  type 
which  are  to  be  used  exclusively  for  elec- 
trotyping, such  as  books  and  periodicals 
of  large  circulation,  high  spaces  and  leads 
should  be  used. 

Hoe  Press — Presses  made  by  the  celebrated 
New  York  firm  of  press  makers  established 
by  Robert  Hoe,  an  Englishman  who  came 
to  this  country  in  1803.  The  first  kinds 
were  hand-presses,  then  cylinder  presses, 
which  were  developed  to  a  marvelous  de- 
gree and  made  in  a  great  variety  of  styles, 
from  the  single  cylinder  form  to  the  mod- 
ern web  perfecting  machines  employed  on 
metropolitan  newspapers. 

Hollow  Qiiads — Large  sizes  are  sometimes 
cast  with  hollow  parts  to  make  them  lighter 
and  economize  the  metal.  See  Quotation 
Furniture. 


I04    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Hook  Up — The  end  of  a  line  that  is  turned 
over  and  bracketed  into  the  end  of  the 
line  above,  as  in  hymn-books  and  poetry 
set  in  narrow  measure. 

Horn  Book — A  contrivance  which  existed 
before  the  invention  of  printing  and  which 
was  designed  to  provide  an  indestructible 
school-book  for  boys.  The  horn-book  was 
a  small  broadside  made  up  of  the  alphabet 
at  the  top,  in  capitals  and  small  letters,  a 
list  of  the  vowels,  a  number  of  the  com- 
monest syllables,  and  the  Lord's  Prayer. 
This  single  leaf  was  set  in  a  wooden  frame, 
fashioned  with  a  handle  at  the  bottom 
like  a  lady's  hand-glass.  In  the  handle 
there  was  a  hole  for  a  string  so  that  the 
horn-book  could  be  slung  to  the  boy's  belt. 
Covering  the  printed  sheet  and  protecting 
it  from  the  boy's  destructive  finger-nails, 
there  was  a  plate  of  horn  shaved  down 
thin  enough  to  make  it  perfectly  trans- 
parent. Sometimes  the  printed  sheet  was 
simply  pasted  on  the  plate  of  horn.  {Ameri- 
can Dictionary  of  Printing  and  Bookmaking.^ 

Horse  —  An  inclined  table  near  the  press 
upon  which  the  old-time  hand-pressman 
placed  the  white  paper  to  be  printed. 

Horsing — To  charge  for  work  before  it  is 
done.  A  journeyman  doing  work  for  which 
he  has  already  been  paid  is  working  for  a 
dead  horse.  In  book  rooms,  to  read  proof 
without  a  copy-holder  is  horsing  it. 


of  Technical  Terms        105 

Hot  Pressing — A  method  of  pressing  out 
printed  sheets  by  means  of  hot  plates 
placed  with  the  press-boards  in  a  power- 
ful standing  press.  It  gave  a  polish  to 
paper  which  was  printed  while  damp  and 
which  came  out  with  a  dull  finish  when 
cold  pressed.  This  treatment  is  now  rarely 
given  to  printed  sheets,  as  hard  packing, 
modern  presses,  careful  make-ready,  and 
dry,  calendered  paper  make  it  unneces- 
sary. Hot  rolling  is  done  by  means  of 
heated  cylinders. 

Hound's-teeth — Irregular  lines  and  gaps  of 
white  space  which  may  be  traced  between 
the  words  of  several  lines  in  a  page.  In 
careful  composition  these  white  rivers, 
when  distinct,  are  objectionable,  and  may 
often  be  avoided  by  a  little  re-spacing  of 
one  or  more  lines. 

Hiiber  Press — Several  styles  of  this  cylinder 
press  are  made  —  a  single  cylinder,  a  two- 
color,  and  a  perfecting  press  —  all  built 
upon  the  two-revolution  principle.  In  the 
two-color  machine  the  sheet  is  printed  in 
one  color  by  one  cylinder  and  passed  to 
the  second  cylinder,  which  has  a  sepa- 
rate form  and  inking  apparatus,  for  the 
second  color ;  in  this  way  type  may  be 
printed  with  one  grade  or  color  of  ink, 
and  a  page-border  or  a  halftone  in  a  dif- 
ferent ink  on  the  same  page,  at  a  single 
handling  of  the  sheet.  In  the  perfecting 
machine  the  sheet  passes  between  a  cylin- 


io6    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

der  and  its  type-form  on  a  flat  bed  for 
each  printing.  An  apparatus  is  provided 
to  prevent  the  set-off  of  the  fresh  ink 
from  the  first  impression  while  printing 
the  second  side.  The  makers  of  these 
presses  have,  because  of  recent  improve- 
ments, now  named  them  Huber  -  Hodg- 
man  Block-bearing  Presses. 

Humafiistic — The  name  given  to  a  style  of 
type  designed  by  William  Dana  Orcutt 
and  used  at  the  University  Press,  Cam- 
bridge, Mass.  The  type  is  based  upon  the 
highest  form  of  hand  lettering  ever  at- 
tained, as  shown  in  the  fifteenth  century 
Humanistic  manuscripts  in  Florence.  The 
principle  on  which  the  font  is  cut  differs 
radically  from  that  shown  in  regular  mod- 
ern type  —  namely,  the  ascending  letters 
are  short  and  the  descending  letters  long. 
The  designs  of  the  letters  closely  follow 
those  of  the  hand  work,  there  being  several 
cuts  of  the  same  letter,  yet  avoiding  the  in- 
evitable slight  irregularity  of  such  work. 
The  letters  have  a  peculiar  merit  of  retain- 
ing their  individuality,  considered  one  by 
one,  yet  sinking  this  in  becoming  parts  of  a 
word  which  seems  as  complete  in  itself  as  a 
a  logotype.  The  type  is  used  exclusively  for 
special  editions  of  Humanistic  volumes. 

Hydraulic  Press — A  powerful  standing  press 
in  which  the  power  is  communicated  ver)- 
slowly  to  a  piston  by  means  of  water  in- 
jected by  a  force  pump  into  a  large  cylin- 


of  Technical  Terms         107 

der  in  which  the  piston  moves.  This  style 
of  standing  press  is  used  in  large  book 
printing  rooms,  binderies,  and  other  places 
where  great  and  steady  pressure  is  re- 
quired. See  Dry  Pressitig,  Standing  Press. 
Hyphen — The  short  dash  used  at  the  end  of 
a  line  when  a  word  is  divided  and  part  is 
carried  over  to  the  next  line.  It  is  also 
used  to  join  compounded  words.  A  num- 
ber of  hyphens  spaced  apart  with  quads 
was  formerly  used  for  leaders  in  indexes, 

price-lists,  etc., Hyphens  are  not 

now  approved  for  this  purpose,  but  pe- 
riods are  used  instead.  ...  In  ordinary 
fonts  the  hyphen  is  of  the  width  of  a  four- 
to-em  or  three-to-em  space,  and  should  not 
be  confused  with  the  en-dash.  See  Dashes. 

J —  I  and  J,  with  their  small  forms  i  and  j, 
were  formerly  regarded  as  the  same  char- 
acter, the  I  or  i  being  used  in  many  words 
where  J  or  j  are  now  employed.  I  being 
the  simplest  form  of  any  written  or  printed 
character,  it  is  often  employed  to  represent 
the  first  of  any  number.  In  the  Roman  nu- 
merals I  represents  one,  and  in  our  com- 
mon figures  the  I  slightly  modified  as  to 
serifs  is  the  figure  1.    See/. 

Illiitntnating — The  decoration  of  book-pages 
and  manuscripts  with  colors,  especially  in 
several  colors  and  gilding.  Initial  letters, 
borders,  head-pieces,  and  pictures,  were 
in  early  times  the  subjects  of  elaborate 


io8    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

and  costly  decoration  in  brilliant  colors. 
When  books  were  rarer  and  all  work  was 
done  by  hand,  single  volumes  were  illumi- 
nated and  bound  in  sumptuous  manner  for 
wealthy  patrons. 

Imperial —  A  size  of  writing  paper  22  x  30  or 
23  X31  inches  ;  printing  paper,  22  x  32  in- 
ches ;  drawing  paper,  21x30  inches. 

Imperial  Press —  A  platen  jobbing  press  re- 
cently introduced,  made  in  Boston.  It 
has  a  moving  platen  and  a  stationary  per- 
pendicular bed,  surmounted  with  an  ink 
disk  and  fountain,  as  in  several  other  st}'les 
of  job  presses.  Its  distinctive  feature  is  a 
second  ink  fountain  with  distributing  roll- 
ers below  the  bed,  from  which  the  form- 
rollers  receive  a  fresh  supply  of  ink  before 
they  start  back  on  their  upward  motion. 
This  arrangement,  with  three  form-rollers, 
gives  additional  inking  facility'  over  the 
ordinary  job  press,  which  is  desirable  for 
printing  illustrations  and  forms  requiring  a 
good  supply  of  ink.  The  name  Imperial  was 
also  given  to  a  hand-press  used  in  England 
many  years  ago. 

Imposing  Stone  or  Tadle  — The  table  or  fiat 
surface  upon  which  forms  are  locked  up 
for  the  press.  Formerly  this  was  a  pol- 
ished stone  set  into  the  top  of  a  wooden 
frame  —  and  called  simply  a  sfone.  Large 
composing  rooms  with  modern  equipment 
now  have  polished  iron  tables  for  impos 
ing  purposes.   See  S/o/h--7i'ork. 


[ 


of  Technical  Terms        109 

Imposition  —  The  operation  of  laying  a  num- 
ber of  pages  or  parts  of  a  form  in  such  a 
manner  that,  when  the  sheet  is  printed  and 
folded,  the  pages  or  parts  will  follow  each 
other  in  consecutive  order  with  proper 
margins.  This  part  of  the  printer's  work 
requires  experience,  skill,  precision,  and 
the  ability  to  calculate  closely.  A  printed 
sheet  may  contain  a  single  page  printed 
on  one  side,  or  two  pages,  one  on  each 
side ;  or  it  may,  after  printing,  be  folded 
once  and  have  three  printed  pages  and 
one  blank,  or  all  four  pages  printed  ;  or  it 
may  be  intended  to  fold  twice  into  three 
leaves  with  six  pages,  or  into  four  leaves 
with  eight  pages ;  and  so  on,  with  larger 
sheets  and  additional  foldings.  All  these 
different  forms  require  the  pages  placed 
in  a  different  plan  with  relation  to  each 
other,  as  one  may  observe  by  folding 
sheets  of  blank  paper  and  marking  the 
blank  pages  in  consecutive  order,  and 
then  opening  out  the  sheet.  There  are  also 
variations  in  schemes  of  imposition  re- 
quired because  of  size  or  shape  of  paper, 
or  the  kind  of  press  to  be  used,  or  whether 
one  form  will  print  one  side  of  the  sheet 
and  the  sheet  turned  to  print  the  other 
side  with  the  same  form,  or  whether  each 
side  is  to  be  printed  with  a  separate  form  ; 
and  also,  in  sheets  of  two  or  more  folds, 
the  variations  that  may  be  required  be- 
cause of  difference  in  the  manner  of  fold- 


no    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

ing  the  sheet.  With  sheets  of  few  pages, 
like  those  mentioned,  the  work  of  imposi- 
tion is  comparatively  simple  ;  but  when 
many  pages  are  printed  at  one  time  on 
large  sheets,  and  the  sheets  cut  into  sec- 
tions after  printing,  each  section  to  be 
folded  separately,  the  problem  becomes 
more  intricate  and  the  utmost  care  and 
study  is  needed  to  avoid  mistakes  and 
loss  of  time.  Sheets  folded  by  hand  may 
have  to  be  imposed  in  one  way ;  the  same 
pages,  when  the  folding  is  intended  to  be 
done  on  a  folding  machine,  must  be  im- 
posed differently.  Large  sheets  of  thin 
paper  may  permit  a  number  of  folds  in 
one  sheet  and  the  paper  will  fold  true  and 
smooth  ;  thick,  stiff  paper  may  require 
imposition  that  will  allow  the  large  printed 
sheet  to  be  cut  apart  and  each  part  folded 
separately.  Imposition  includes  also  the 
preparation  of  duplicate  forms  to  be  reg- 
istered to  each  other  for  printing  in  two 
or  more  colors.  The  making  -of  required 
margins  at  the  sides  and  top  and  bottom 
of  each  page,  as  well  as  the  proper  mark- 
ing of  signatures,  the  placing  of  register 
points,  and  other  matters  necessar)'  to 
prepare  a  form  for  printing,  come  under 
the  head  of  imposition.  Diagrams  of  im- 
position, with  particular  explanations, 
etc.,  may  be  found  in  many  text-books  on 
printing  and  from  time  to  time  in  the 
trade  journals. 


of  Technical  Terms         1 1 1 

Impression — The  pressure  given  by  a  form 
of  type  or  a  plate  to  the  sheet  of  paper ; 
also,  the  printed  sheet — in  the  latter  sense 
usually  applied  to  engravings. 

Impression  Screws — Those  under  the  corners 
of  the  platen  of  a  job  press,  by  which  the 
impression  is  regulated.  On  a  cylinder 
press  the  impression  is  similarly  regulated 
by  screws  below  and  above  the  journal 
boxes  which  sustain  the  cylinder. 

Impression  Throw-off— K  device  now  made 
a  part  of  nearly  all  job  presses,  whereby 
the  pressman  or  feeder  can,  without  stop- 
ping the  press,  move  the  platen  and  bed 
apart  slightly,  so  as  to  avoid  making  an 
impression  of  the  form,  in  case  of  failure 
to  get  a  sheet  in  place  properly.  On  cylin- 
der presses,  it  is  an  impression  trip,  oper- 
ated by  the  feeder's  foot,  and  serves  to 
raise  the  printing  cylinder  slightly  while 
the  form  passes  under  it. 

Impression  Sheets — Those  placed  around  the 
cylinder  or  on  the  tympan,  upon  which  an 
impression  is  printed  in  the  operation  of 
making  ready  on  the  press. 

Imprint — The  name,  with  or  without  address, 
of  the  printer  on  his  work  ;  usually  placed 
inconspicuously,  and  it  may  be  in  plain, 
small  type,  or  in  the  form  of  a  trade-mark 
or  significant  device. 

In  the  Metal — That  is,  in  type — as,  to  correct 
in  the  metal,  or  to  revise  in  the  metal, 
without  taking  a  proof. 


112     The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Incunabula  or  Cunabula — A  Latin  term  sig- 
nifying in  the  cradle.  It  is  applied  by  bib- 
liograpliers  to  books  printed  before  the 
year  1500 — the  beginnings  of  printed  lit- 
erature. These  books  are  much  sought  for 
and  catalogues  and  treatises  upon  them 
are  numerous.  Most  of  them  are  in  Latin, 
and  they  are  preserved  in  European  lib- 
raries, although  a  number  of  copies  may 
be  found  in  this  country. 

Indelible  Ink — Used  mostly  for  marking  pur- 
poses, as  on  cotton  or  cloth,  which  when 
properly  treated  cannot  be  effaced. 

Indent — To  put  a  blank  before  or  after  words 
in  a  line,  as  at  the  beginning  of  a  paragraph. 

Indejition  or  Indentation — Common  paragraph 
indention  is  to  begin  the  first  line  further 
in  from  the  margin  than  the  other  lines. 
The  usual  indention  of  paragraphs  is  one 
em-quad  of  its  own  size  at  the  beginning 
of  the  first  line.  If  the  lines  are  of  more 
than  average  length,  this  indention  is  in- 
creased to  one  and  a  half,  two,  or  more 
ems.  Thus,  for  any  measure  from  twelve 
to  twenty  pica  ems  in  10-point,  11 -point, 

V  or  i2-point,  one  em  of  the  type  is  suffi- 
cient ;  but  for  5 -point  or  6-point  type  in  a 
measure  of  eighteen  pica  ems,  two  ems  of 
its  own  body  will  be  needed.  As  a  rule, 
wide-leaded  and  wide-spaced  lines  will 
need  more  indention  than  close-spaced, 
solid  matter.  The  indention  should  be 
enough  to  indicate  the  paragraph  clearly. 


of  Technical  Terms        113 

but  not  so  much  as  to  make  distinction 
unduly  conspicuous.  See  Hanging  Inden- 
tion, Half-diamond  Indention,  Diagonal  In- 
dention, Motto  Ifidefition. 

Index — A  table  for  facilitating  reference  to 
topics,  names,  etc.,  in  a  book,  arranged 
in  alphabetic  order.  It  is  usually  placed 
at  the  end  of  a  book,  but  is  sometimes  in 
the  first  part.  An  index  differs  from  a 
table  of  contents  which  is  always  in  the 
front  of  the  book  and  states  the  chapters 
or  subjects  in  the  order  in  which  they 
occur.  Also  the  character  t^,  called 
by  compositors  the  hand  or  fist.  It  is  fur- 
nished with  ordinary  roman  fonts,  being 
one  of  the  old-st>'le  reference  marks.  In 
some  fonts  right  and  left  characters  are 
furnished,  and  it  is  now  made  in  a  variety 
of  forms  for  advertising,  etc. 

Index  Expurgatorius  —  A  list  of  prohibited 
books. 

India  Ink — A  deep  black  writing  and  draw- 
ing ink,  used  especially  in  drawings  to  be 
photographed  for  engraving.  It  is  made  of 
lampblack  and  size,  or  glue,  and  received 
its  name  because  it  was  first  obtained  from 
China  through  India. 

India  Paper — Often  used  by  engravers  for 
fine  impressions.  It  has  a  fine  silky  texture 
and  takes  ink  nicely.  It  is  imported  and 
is  made  from  hemp,  cotton,  mulberry  bark, 
bamboo,  and  silkworm  cocoons.  India 
proofs  are  made  on  India  paper. 


114    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

India-rubber  Blanket — A  sheet  of  cloth  faced 
with  rubber,  used  to  cover  the  printing 
cylinder.  It  is  used  where  quick  make- 
ready  is  required  on  common  work,  like 
newspapers,  and  for  old  t>^pes  or  electros. 

Inkflleum — A  colorless  reducer  for  printing 
inks,  designed  to  make  stiff  or  cold  inks 
easier  to  work. 

Inferior  Figures  or  Letters — Small  figures  or 
letters  cast  on  the  lower  part  of  type,  be- 
low the  line  of  the  usual  face,  thus  :  ,  ^  j  or 
a  5  c  ;  used  in  chemical  and  scientific  form- 
ulas. Superiors  are  above  the  line  '  2  3  a  b 

Initial — The  first  letter,  as  of  a  name,  etc. 
In  printing,  the  word  is  usually  applied  to 
a  large  letter,  plain  or  ornamental,  which 
is  inserted  at  the  beginning  of  a  paragraph. 
In  this  use  it  may  be  a  two-line  initial, 
three-line,  etc.,  according  to  the  number  of 
lines  of  text  that  it  covers.  Before  the  in- 
vention of  printing,  and  since,  the  initial 
letter  has  been  considered  the  feature  of  a 
page  that  could  be  properly  used  for  deco- 
rative purposes.  Early  manuscripts  show 
many  elaborate,  beautifully  colored  ini- 
tials. These  were  done  by  hand  by  scribes 
and  illuminators,  and  early  printers  often 
left  blank  spaces  in  their  printed  pages 
for  these  letters  to  be  drawn  in  later.  In 
some  cases  a  small  letter  was  printed  in  the 
middle  of  a  large  space  as  a  guide  to  the 
artist.    These  small  letters  were  covered 


of  Technical  Terms         115 

with  the  larger  letter,  but  sometimes  they 
were  left  untouched  and  the  decoration 
drawn  around  them  to  fill  the  space.  Later 
initials  were  cut  on  wood  or  cast  in  metal 
and  printed  with  the  text. 

Ink — The  colored  fluid  or  substance  used  in 
writing,  printing,  stamping,  etc.  Common 
black  writing  ink  is  a  chemical  dye  gen- 
erally made  of  nutgalls,  copperas,  and  gum 
arable.  The  coloring  matter  is  gallotannate 
of  iron  ;  logwood  is  used  to  deepen  and 
improve  the  color,  and  many  other  ingredi- 
ents are  sometimes  used.  Printing  ink  is 
a  mbcture  of  boiled  oil  and  black  or  colored 
pigments.  Unlike  writing  ink,  which  is 
fluid,  printing  ink  is  of  the  consistency  of 
a  thick  paint.  Linseed  and  nut  oils  are  used 
for  the  finer  printing  inks,  while  rosin  is 
used  for  the  cheaper  grades.  See  Anili?ie 
Colors,  Copying  Ink,  Invisible  Ink. 

Ink  Brayer — See  Brayer. 

Ink  Foiiniaifi — The  receptacle  in  which  ink 
is  placed  on  a  press,  and  from  which  dis- 
tributing rollers  take  the  ink  automatic- 
ally and  spread  it  over  the  printing  form. 
The  front  of  the  fountain  consists  of  a 
polished  steel  roller  against  which  the  ink 
lays  and  by  the  turning  of  which  the  ink 
is  worked  out  and  taken  up  by  another 
roller  of  softer  composition.  The  supply  of 
ink  is  regulated  by  thumb  screws  pressing 
behind  a  knife  or  straight-edge  against 
the  fountain  roller. 


ii6    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Ink  Knife — For  handling  printing  ink,  as  in 
taking  from  can  or  barrel ;  it  has  a  handle 
and  usually  a  blade  with  a  square  end.  An 
ink  slice  is  an  iron  implement  for  lifting  or 
scraping  up  ink. 

Invisible  or  Sympathetic  Ink — A  writing  fluid 
which  remains  invisible  on  paper  until  de- 
veloped by  exposure  to  heat,  strong  light, 
or  some  chemical  reaction. 

Ink  Slinger — A  slang  term  for  a  professional 
writer,  especially  one  who  writes  recklessly 
or  verbosely. 

Ink  Balls — Employed  before  the  invention  of 
rollers  about  seventy-five  years  ago,  to  dis- 
tribute ink  on  the  t\pe-form.  They  con- 
sisted of  round  cushions  stufifed  with  wool 
or  similar  material,  each  with  a  handle,  and 
were  used  in  pairs. 

Ink  Up — To  lay  on  the  rollers  and  distrib- 
ute sufficient  ink  for  any  purpose. 

Inner  Form  — When  two  forms  are  required 
to  print  a  sheet,  one  will  have  the  pages  for 
the  inside,  and  the  other  those  for  the  out- 
side ;  on  an  eight  page  sheet,  in  two  forms, 
the  inner  form  will  have  pages  2,3,6,  7. 

Inset — A  sheet  or  folded  section  placed  w  ith- 
in  another. 

Insert — A  separate  sheet,  usually  of  heavier 
or  different  quality  of  stock  and  specially 
printed,  bound  into  a  magazine,  pamphlet, 
etc.  An  illustration  inserted  in  a  book  is 
termed  a  plate  by  bibliographers. 


of  Technical  Terms       1 1 7 

I?iside  Quires — The  good  quires  of  a  ream 
of  folded  paper ;  the  outside  quires  of  a 
package  are  liable  to  show  more  or  less 
injury  from  handling,  rope  marks,  etc. 

Intaglio — Engraving  incised  or  cut  into  the 
surface  of  wood  or  metal,  in  distinction 
from  engraving  in  relief.  The  lines  to  be 
printed  are  filled  with  ink  and  the  paper 
pressed  in  to  take  up  the  hik.  See  Copper- 
plate Engravifig,  Steel  Engraving. 

Interleave  ■ —  To  place  extra  sheets,  usually 
blank,  between  the  printed  sheets,  as  to 
insert  sheets  of  blotting  paper  between  the 
leaves  of  a  blank  book.  When  a  printing 
form  requires  a  great  quanity  of  ink,  the 
sheets  as  they  come  from  the  press  are 
often  interleaved  to  prevent  the  ink  set-off 
from  one  sheet  to  another.  This  operation 
is  oftener  called  slip-sheeting,  and  the 
sheets  used  slip-'sheets  or  set-off  sheets. 

Interlitiear  Matter — Lines  of  type,  as  of  ex- 
planation or  translation,  placed  between 
the  main  or  text  lines  of  a  work. 

Introduction — A  preliminary  paragraph,  page 
or  chapter  in  a  book,  etc.,  usually  of  an  ex- 
planatory nature.    See  Preface. 

Interrogation  Mark  [?] — Used  at  the  end  of 
a  direct  question.  When  this  mark  is  cast 
on  a  thin  body,  a  thin  space  should  be  used 
to  separate  it  from  the  preceding  word. 

Inverted  Commas  ["] — Used  at  the  beginning 
of  a  quotation.    See  Quote-Ma?-ks. 


ii8  The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Italic — The  first  italic  types  were  made  by 
Aldus  Manutius.  the  famous  Italian  print- 
er of  the  sixteenth  century,  who  printed 
many  books  with  it  entirely.  Originally 
only  the  lower-case  letters  were  italic,  the 
capitals  being  upright.  Although  italic  was 
first  used  to  print  the  whole  text  of  books, 
it  has  now  only  occasional  uses,  such  as 
for  words  requiring  emphasis,  for  circu- 
lars, extracts,  bits  of  poetrj-,  sub-headings, 
etc.,  and  sometimes  for  prefaces  and  in- 
troductory paragraphs.  Its  use  in  roman 
text  for  names  of  books,  plays,  vessels, 
newspapers,  etc.,  and  for  words  from  for- 
eign languages,  is  not  now  so  common  as 
it  was  fifteen  years  ago.  On  account  of  the 
numerous  kerned  letters,  which  break  off 
easily  and  make  its  use  troublesome  and 
expensive,  italic  is  not  popular  for  ordi- 
nary work  and  the  modern  practice  is  to 
employ  it  sparingly.  Nearly  all  ordinary 
roman  fonts,  as  well  as  many  special  styles 
of  jobbing  and  display  faces,  now  have 
their  companion  italics,  which  are  of  sim- 
ilar weight  of  face  and  on  the  same  "line" 
as  the  roman.  A  single  line  drawn  under 
a  word  or  sentence  in  written  copy  is  a 
direction  to  the  compositor  to  use  italic. 

Italicize — To  set  words  or  sentences  in  italic  ; 
to  emphasize. 

Italic  Case — A  plan  of  type-case  so  arranged 
as  to  provide  for  a  complete  alphabet  of 
capitals  and  one  of  lower-case  letters,  with 


of  Technical  Terms         119 

figures,  points,  spaces,  etc.  The  arrange" 
ment  is  the  same  as  the  regular  lower  case 
condensed  into  two  thirds  of  the  size  side- 
ways, with  the  capitals  in  the  other  third- 
section  as  in  the  ordinary  capital  case.  It 
is  convenient  to  hold  small  fonts  com- 
plete in  a  single  case,  and  is  made  in  a 
number  of  sizes. 

Its  Own  Stock — That  is,  the  stock  upon  which 
the  work  is  to  be  finally  printed,  as  dis- 
tinguished from  sheets  used  for  proofs  or 
trial  impressions. 

Ives  Process — A  method  of  photo-engraving. 

J — This  letter,  as  a  distinct  character  of  the 
alphabet,  is  comparatively  modern  (since 
about  1630),  it  being  derived  from  the  I. 
Its  late  introduction  explains  its  position 
out  of  the  regular  alphabetic  order  in  the 
printer's  capital  case.  J  and  I  (with  their 
lower-case  forms  j  and  i)  were  originally 
identical  and  words  beginning  with  these 
letters  were  classed  together  in  dictionaries 
as  late  as  1800.  The  use  of  j  for  i  is  still 
observed  in  medical  prescriptions,  at  the 
end  of  a  series  of  numerals,  like  vj  (six)  ,viij 
(eight).  The  pronunciation  of  j  in  English 
may  be  represented  by  dzh,  inFrench  by  zh, 
in  German  by  y,  and  in  Spanish  by  h. 

Jeffing — To  play  at  quadrats;  that  is,  to  throw 
quads  like  dice,  Em  quads  are  used,  the 
nick  side  representing  one  and  the  other 
sides  blanks.   Jeffing  is  a  very  old  custom. 


I20     The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Jenson — The  name  given  to  a  well  known 
style  of  type-face.  The  modern  type  was 
made  by  William  Morris,  who  modelled  it 
after  the  roman  letters  of  Nicholas  Jenson, 
a  Venetian  printer  of  the  fifteenth  cent- 
ury. Morris  called  his  the  "Golden"  type, 
but  it  was  introduced  to  American  printers 
by  the  Dickinson  Foundery  branch  of  the 
American  Type  Founders  Company  as 
Jenson  Oldstyle.  Other  varieties  of  the 
face  have  since  been  made — Jenson  Bold, 
Jenson  Italic,  Jenson  Condensed,  etc.,  to- 
gether with  a  series  of  ornaments  and  dec- 
orative initials. 

Jet — The  projection  at  the  bottom  of  a  type 
when  it  is  first  cast,  being  the  metal  which 
cools  in  the  aperture  of  the  mold.  It  is 
broken  off  and  a  groove  made  which  forms 
the  feet  of  the  type. 

Job — A  piece  of  work  ;  anything  undertaken, 
or  assumed  to  be  done,  whether  of  more  or 
less  importance. —  Webster's  Dictionary. 

Jobber — A  small  rotary  platen  press  for  small 
work.    Also,  a  job  compositor. 

Job  Case — A  type  case  with  boxes  for  hold- 
ing a  complete  small  font  (a  job  font)  of 
type ;  in  distinction  from  news  or  book 
cases,  which  are  in  pairs. 

Job  Compositor — One  who  does  all  or  many 
varieties  of  work,  as  distinct  from  a  book 
or  newspaper  hand. 


of  Technical  Terms        121 

Job  Font — A  small  assortment  of  type  of  one 
style  and  size  ;  commonly  of  t}'pe  used  for 
display  and  miscellaneous  work.  It  con- 
tains capitals,  lower-case  letters,  figures, 
points,  etc.,  but  no  small  capitals,  and  most 
job  fonts  do  not  now  include  the  diph- 
thongs ^  CE  ae  oe.  A  job  font  contains  a 
certain  number  of  each  character;  a  weight 
font  contains  a  certain  weight  of  each.  Job 
fonts  are  now  put  up  by  type  founders  in 
two  sections :  one  of  capitals,  figures,  and 
points,  the  other  of  lower-case  letters,  with 
a  small  portion  of  points.  See  Font. 

Job  Galley — Made  in  many  sizes,  but  shorter 
and  wider  than  those  used  in  newspaper 
and  book  work. 

Job  Press — A  small  press,  commonly  of  the 
platen  style,  upon  which  small  jobs  are 
done. 

Job  Type — ^That  used  for  miscellaneous  work 
in  small  jobs,  etc.,  usually  in  small  quan- 
tities, in  distinction  from  newspaper  and 
book  type. 

Jog— To  push  or  shake  gently  ;  that  is,  to  push 
together  sheets  of  paper,  etc.,  into  a  com- 
pact pile.  To  jog  up  sheets  that  have  been 
spread  out  after  printing,  that  the  ink  may 
dry  quickly,  requires  some  skill  and  prac- 
tice, in  order  to  avoid  breaking  and  crump- 
ling the  edges.  A  great  deal  of  spoilage  and 
untidy  work  may  be  prevented  by  allowing 
none  but  careful  employees  to  do  this  part 
of  the  work. 


122    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Jogger — An  arrangement  attached  to  the  de- 
livery-board of  a  press,  to  keep  the  sheets 
in  order  as  they  are  laid  down  by  the  fly, 
tape,  or  grippers.  It  consists  of  small  mov- 
able uprights  on  two  or  three  sides  of  the 
area  where  the  sheet  is  delivered.  These 
uprights  move  back  and  forth  automat- 
ically as  each  sheet  is  laid  down  and  thus 
keep  the  pile  straight. 

Jujiip  His  Case — To  quit  or  neglect  his  work  ; 
to  leave  his  case  without  notifying  the  fore- 
man, or  for  a  sub.  to  leave  without  notify- 
ing the  regular  compositor. 

/ustify^To  make  lines  of  type  of  exact  length 
with  their  mates,  so  that  they  will  lock  up 
solidly.  This  may  be  done  by  spacing  be- 
tween or  within  words,  or  at  the  ends  of 
lines.  To  space  a  line  is  to  put  proper 
spaces  between  words  or  letters.  A  line 
may  be  well  justified,  but  badly  spaced, 
and  vice  versa. 

Justifiers — Very  thin  spaces,  like  copper-thin, 
etc.,  are  sometimes  called  justifiers.  In 
England,  large  quads  or  quotations  are 
termed  justifiers. 

Keep  Down  —  A  direction  to  use  capitals 
sparingly  ;  to  begin  with  small  letters  those 
words  which  might  in  other  places  be  cap- 
italized. In  newspaper  work  the  custom  is 
is  to  keep  down  many  words  that  would 
be  kept  up  in  pamphlet  and  job  work. 


of  Technical  Terms        123 

Keep  Standing — After  type  or  forms  have 
been  used  to  print  the  number  of  impres- 
sions required,  an  order  to  "Keep  stand- 
ing" may  be  given,  if  there  is  probability 
that  the  forms  may  be  needed  again. 

Keep  Up— To  use  capitals  freely;  to  capitalize 
words  which  might  at  other  times  begin 
with  small  letters. 

Keep  Up  Style — To  follow  strictly  the  rules  of 
the  office  in  matters  of  capitalizing,  punct- 
uation, division  of  words,  spelling,  abbre- 
viations, style  of  headings,  etc. 

Kerned  Letters — Those  which  have  a  part  of 
the  face  projecting  over  the  body  of  the 
type,  like  the  italic/",  j,  etc.  In  early  roman 
fonts,  now  known  as  old-style,  the  top  of 
the  letter  f  projected  over  the  body,  so  that 
when  it  was  used  before  an  1  or  i,  as  well  as 
when  two  were  used  together,  a  thin  space 
was  needed  to  prevent  the  kern  breaking 
off.  To  avoid  this,  the  f  was  cast  double, 
also  with  1  and  i,  on  the  same  type,  thus 
giving  the  familiar  ligatures  fi,  fl,  ff ,  ffi,  ffl, 
instead  of  the  fi,  fl,  ffi,  ffl,  as  they  would 
appear  in  single  types.  Kerned  letters  are 
troublesome  to  the  type-founder,  on  ac- 
count of  the  extra  care  and  expense  in 
making,  and  they  are  a  source  of  annoy- 
ance to  the  printer  because  of  the  breaking 
of  the  kerns.  Modern  type-founders  en- 
deavor to  avoid  kerned  letters  as  much  as 
possible,  but  they  can  not  be  entirely  dis- 
pensed with,    especially    in  italic   fonts, 


124    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

whose  long  sloping  letters  would  leave 
wide  gaps  unless  the  types  were  made  to 
overhang  each  other  more  or  less. 

Key  (for  mechanical  quoins) — A  T-shaped 
piece  of  steel  with  a  pin  at  one  of  its  points 
which  fits  into  and  operates  the  metal 
quoins  used  to  lock  up  forms.  A  combina- 
tion key  is  in  the  form  of  a  Y  and  has  two 
of  its  three  points  fitted  for  the  two  sizes 
of  the  Hempel  quoin  and  the  other  point 
for  the  Wickersham  quoin.  A  pressman's 
quoin-key  is  a  right-angled  lever  of  this 
shape  N ,  with  the  short  arm  fitted  for  the 
quoins.  It  is  convenient  for  unlocking  and 
locking  quoins  that  may  be  in  the  form 
close  under  the  cylinder  of  the  press,  where 
the  regular  key  cannot  be  used. 

Kidder  Press — A  printing  machine  invented 
by  Wellington  P.  Kidder  of  Boston,  and 
placed  on  the  market  about  1S76.  The  first 
styles  of  the  machine  were  somewhat  sim- 
ilar to  the  Gordon  press,  with  attachments 
for  feeding  the  paper  from  a  roll  and  cut- 
ting into  sheets  after  printing,  and  for  num- 
bering, perforating,  etc.  Because  of  its  self- 
feeding  apparatus  it  could  be  run  at  a  high 
speed  and  was  profitable  for  work  in  long 
runs.  Later,  other  styles  of  the  machine 
were  made,  and  since  the  retirement  of  Mr. 
Kidder  the  firm  have  built  presses  other 
than  those  invented  by  him,  until  now 
there  are  over  thirty  dilTerent  styles  of 
Kidder  presses.   Hat-beds  and  rotaries  of 


of  Technical  Terms       125 

various  sizes.  The  factory  and  main  office 
of  the  Kidder  Press  Company  is  at  Dover, 
New  Hampshire. 
Konig  Press — The  first  practical  power  print- 
ing machine;  invented  in  1811  by  Freid- 
rich  Konig,  a  Saxon,  who  devoted  his  at- 
tention to  constructing  a  press  that  would 
print  by  means  of  a  cylinder.  On  Novem- 
ber 28,  18 1 4,  the  London  Titnes  announced 
the  fact  that  the  number  issued  on  that  day 
had  been  printed  by  machinery  propelled 
by  steam.  The  first  suggestion  of  a  cylin- 
der press  is  due,  nevertheless,  to  William 
Nicholson,  an  Englishman  who  in  1790 
took  out  a  patent  for  such  a  machine,  but 
which  was  never  acted  on.  Isaiah  Thomas 
says  that  a  Dr.  Kinsley  of  Connecticut 
afterward  produced  a  press  varying  some- 
what from  Nicholson's. 

JL — In  the  Roman  numerals  L  signifies  50. 
The  English  mark  for  pound  sterling  £  is 
the  same  letter,  the  initial  of  the  Latin  word 
libra,  pound.  The  commercial  sign  for 
pound  weight,  tb  is  from  the  same  word. 

Label  Holder — For  type  cases,  drawers,  etc.; 
narrow  strips  of  thin  brass,  tacked  on  the 
ends,  and  having  the  edges  arranged  so 
that  a  strip  of  card  may  be  inserted  and 
kept  in  place. 

Labor-Saving  —  The  term  applied  to  rules, 
leads,  metal  and  wood  furniture,  etc.,  that 


126    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

is  provided  in  assorted  lengths.  The  sizes 
are  commonly  multiples  of  pica  (12-point) 
or  nonpareil  (6-point).  Material  in  gradu- 
ated sizes  saves  labor,  as  well  as  the  neces- 
sity for  keeping  on  hand  sizes  that  may  be 
little  used,  because  two  or  more  small 
pieces  may  be  combined  to  make  a  larger 
piece.  Labor-saving  material  is  indispens- 
able in  job  work  and  it  is  employed  to 
a  great  extent  in  printing-rooms  of  every 
kind  ;  even  in  newspaper  and  book  rooms, 
where  leads,  slugs,  rules,  and  such  material 
are  needed  mostly  in  a  few  special  sizes, 
fonts  of  labor-saving  material  are  conven- 
ient and  economical  for  the  unusual  sizes 
that  are  sometimes  called  for.  Dealers  in 
printers'  goods  now  furnish  brass  rules  in 
various  styles,  leads,  slugs,  metal  furniture, 
reglet,  wood  and  steel  furniture,  etc.,  in 
labor-saving  fonts,  together  with  cases  and 
racks  for  their  proper  storage. 
Labor- Saving  Rule — Brass  rules  cut  in  grad- 
uated lengths ;  the  usual  sizes  are  multi- 
ples of  nonpareil  (6-point)  up  to  ten  picas 
long,  and  multiples  of  pica  (12-point)  for 
longer  sizes.  The  advantage  of  labor- 
saving  rules  is  that,  having  an  assortment, 
or  font,  of  the  shorter  sizes  they  may  be 
combined  to  make  longer  rules,  thus  sav- 
ing material  as  well  as  the  labor  of  cutting 
new  lengths.  Labor-saving  rules  are  fur- 
nished in  fonts,  by  weight,  by  the  type- 
foundries  and  supply  houses. 


of  Technical  Terms        127 

Laid  Down — When  the  pages  for  a  book  or 
catalogue  form  are  placed  in  proper  order 
on  the  imposing  stone,  ready  to  have 
furniture  fitted  around  them  for  locking 
up,  they  are  laid  down.  A  printed  sheet 
reinforced  by  a  piece  of  strong  paper  or 
thin  cloth  pasted  on  its  back  is,  among 
bookmen,  laid  down. 

Laid  Paper — Having  lines  water-marked  in 
it  at  equal  distance  apart,  the  lines  being 
thin  places  made  by  the  pressure  of  the 
wire  screen  during  manufacture.  It  is  cus- 
tomar)^  to  speak  of  paper  being  either  laid 
or  wove.  These  are  misleading  terms, 
probably  originating  not  with  the  paper 
maker,  but  with  the  maker  of  the  wire 
screen  upon  which  hand-made  paper  is 
made.  For  a  wove  paper,  the  screen  used 
is  woven  like  cloth ;  but  for  a  laid  paper, 
the  wires  of  the  screen  are  laid  in  parallel 
columns.  The  laid  paper  is  of  earlier 
origin  than  the  wove  paper  ;  in  fact,  it  was 
not  till  the  year  1750  that  the  wove  screen 
was  used. 

Lake — Applied  to  colored  printing  inks, 
means  that  the  pigment  is  made  by  ab- 
sorbing animal,  vegetable,  or  coal-tar 
coloring  matter  from  an  aqueous  solution 
by  means  of  a  metallic  base  ;  briefly,  an 
aniline  dye  precipitated  on  a  transparent 
base.  Lake  colors  are  transparent  colors, 
and  are  of  many  hues  —  crimson,  green, 
olive,  red,  purple,  yellow,  etc. 


128    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Lanston  Monotype  —  A  type-casting  machine 
which  produces  separate  types  set  in  lines 
of  any  length,  up  to  sixty  ems  pica,  spaced 
and  justified ;  invented  by  Tolbert  Lanston 
of  Washington,  D.  C,  and  shown  in  oper- 
ation 1889  ;  made  by  the  Lanston  Mono- 
type Machine  Co.  of  Philadelphia.  It  is 
in  two  parts,  viz..  a  key-board  and  acasting- 
machine.  The  function  of  the  key-board 
section  is  to  punch  a  series  of  holes  in  a  mov- 
ing strip  of  paper,  which  unwinds  from  one 
spool  to  another,  passing  under  a  series  of 
punches  in  its  journey.  The  punches  are 
operated  by  pressing  the  keys  on  the  key- 
board, the  result  of  this  operation  being 
a  roll  of  perforated  paper  ribbon.  This 
ribbon  is  then  taken  to  the  casting- 
machine,  which  contains  a  pot  for  melted 
metal,  a  stationary  mold  for  the  size  of 
type  to  be  cast,  and  a  matrix-plate.  The 
matrix-plate  is  about  five  inches  square, 
and  has  on  its  face  a  depressed  image  or 
matrix  of  each  letter  and  character  of  the 
type-face.  The  perforated  strip  of  paper, 
when  fed  to  its  place,  controls  the  move- 
ment of  the  matrix-plate,  so  that  the 
required  letter  is  adjusted  exactly  in  place 
over  the  mold,  while  the  melted  metal  is 
squirted  in  to  form  the  type.  The  type 
then  moves  away  and  takes  its  proper 
place  in  the  line  until  the  line  is  completed, 
when  it  is  automatically  moved  out  onto 
a  galley.    The  key-board  of  the  Lanston 


I 


of  Technical  Terms        129 

Monotype,  being  an  entirely  separate  ma- 
chine, may  be,  and  usually  is,  operated  in 
any  place  away  from  the  casting  apparatus 
and  work  may  be  executed  on  it  any  time 
before  casting.  The  perforated  roll  may 
be  fed  through  any  number  of  times  to 
produce  duplicate  castings  of  the  matter, 
the  matrix-plate  for  different  type-faces 
being  changed  for  each  if  desired.  In  the 
casting  of  the  line  the  proper  spaces  are 
cast  with  it,  the  spacing  needed  to  justify 
the  line  being  indicated  on  the  perforated 
roll  by  the  key-board  operator. 

Large-Paper  Edition  —  A  book  printed  with 
wider  margins  than  usual.  When  two 
styles  of  a  book  are  called  for,  one  for 
ordinary  circulation,  and  another  on  bet- 
ter grade  of  paper  and  perhaps  in  better 
binding,  it  is  common  to  increase  the  mar- 
gins for  the  more  expensive  edition.  This 
makes  it  necessary  to  change  the  furni- 
ture in  the  forms,  or  even  to  impose  it 
over  again  for  a  different  size  of  paper. 

Law  Italic — This  name  was  given  to  a  broad- 
faced  italic  often  used  in  law  blanks  and 
similar  work,  and  is  sometimes  termed 
Caledonian  Italic.  The  name  also  now 
given  to  an  italic  of  somewhat  different 
style,  known  as  Law  Italic  No.  522. 

Law  Frintifig  —  Law  printing  is  a  very  dis- 
tinct class  of  work  and  is  done  mostly  m 
offices  which  have  facilities  for  properly 


130   The  Printer's  Dictionary 

handling  it  and  where  compositors  and 
proofreaders  have  become  familiar  with 
its  peculiarities.  Much  of  it  consists  of 
attorney's  briefs,  and  records.  The  Supe- 
rior courts  of  all  States,  as  well  as  United 
States  courts,  require  all  cases  coming 
before  them  to  be  in  printed  form  with 
pages  of  specified  sizes,  and  sometimes 
in  specified  sizes  of  type.  Massachusetts 
Supreme  Court  work  requires  a  page  of 
the  size  of  10  x  8  inches;  U.  S.  Circuit 
Court  and  U.  S.  Circuit  Court  of  Appeals, 
size  of  page  11x7  inches :  U.  S.  Supreme 
Court,  and  U.  S.  Patent  Ofiice.  9  x  6  in- 
ches, set  in  small  pica(i  i -point)  or  larger. 
Usually  only  a  small  number  of  copies 
are  printed,  from  fifty  to  a  few  hundred, 
and  the  work  is  done  in  a  rush. 
Lay  of  the  Case — The  plan  or  scheme  of  ar- 
rangement of  the  letters  and  other  types 
in  the  compositor's  case.  As  the  boxes 
are  hardly  ever  labelled,  except  in  cases 
that  are  seldom  used,  like  sort  cases,  and 
those  for  holding  accents,  signs,  etc.,  it  is 
necessary  for  one  who  works  at  them  to 
memorize  the  location  of  each  character 
of  the  font.  "Learning  the  case"  is  the 
first  duty  of  the  beginner,  and  he  should 
do  this  thoroughly.  In  the  main,  the  lay 
of  the  ordinary  type-case  is  now  pretty 
nearly  the  same  as  it  has  been  for  hun- 
dreds of  years,  and  in  all  countries  using 
the   Roman   and  Cerman   letters  there  is 


of  Technical  Terms        131 

also  a  great  similarity.  In  spite  of  the 
numerous  changes  that  have  been  pro- 
posed and  that  many  cases  have  been 
made  and  used  with  different  plans  which 
were  obviously  improvements  on  the  usual 
arrangement,  printers  have  adhered  so 
closely  to  the  ancient  lay  of  the  case  that 
a  present-day  compositor  would  have  little 
difficulty  in  setting  type  out  of  the  case 
shown  by  Joseph  Moxon  in  1683.  This 
applies  only  to  the  common  book  and  news 
cases,  which  are  in  pairs,  and  not  to  cases  , 
for  holding  job  type.  Of  these,  there  are 
several  styles,  used  according  to  the  re- 
quirements of  the  fonts  to  go  into  them. 

Laying  Type — Putting  a  new  font  of  type  in 
a  case  ;  sometimes  termed  laying  cases, 
laying  letter. 

Leads  (pronounced  leds,  not  leeds)  —  Thin 
strips  of  soft  metal  used  between  lines 
of  type  to  open  them  out  more  or  less. 
They  are  made  in  different  thicknesses, 
based  on  the  point  system.  The  most 
common  thickness  is  the  2-point.  They 
are  of  softer  metal  than  the  type,  and  are 
sometimes  of  brass  for  use  in  newspaper 
offices.  Leads  have  also  been  made  of 
zinc  and  tin,  as  well  as  vulcanite,  but 
these  are  rare.     See  Brasses,  High  Leads. 

Leaded  Matter — Type  lines  separated  with 
one  or  more  leads,  as  distinguished  from 
solid  matter. 


132    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Lead  Cutter — A  small  machine  with  a  short, 
strong  knife  and  a  movable  gauge,  for  cut- 
ting leads  in  any  desired  length.  A  com- 
mon style  of  this  machine  has  two  knives, 
one  in  front  for  leads  and  another  back  of 
this  for  cutting  brass  rules.  This  is  known 
as  a  lead-and-rule  cutter.  The  lead  knife 
and  its  opposing  edge  are  parallel  with 
each  other  and  chop  oflf  the  lead  squarely, 
while  the  rule  knife  is  at  a  slight  angle  with 
its  opposing  edge  and  cuts  like  a  shear. 

Leaders — Periods  or  dots  placed  at  intervals 
in  open  lines  to  guide  the  eye  across  to 
figures  or  words  at  the  ends,  as  in  indexes, 
tables  of  contents,  price-lists,  etc.  Leaders 
are  cast  by  type  founders  in  nearly  all  sizes 
from  5-point  to  i8-point,  in  several  styles. 

such  as  fine-dot ,  two  dots  to  an 

em one  dot  to  an  em  .     .    .    .  Cast 

leaders  are  usually  on  en,  em,  two-em, 
and  three-em  bodies.  Brass  leaders,  not 
so  easily  worn  or  broken  off,  are  now  also 
furnished  ;  they  are  serviceable  in  com- 
mercial, legal,  and  other  forms  where  blank 
spaces  are  to  be  filled  in  by  writing  after 

the  work  is  printed  {the day 

of. igo )  These  are  made 

on  6-point,  8-point,  10-point,  and  12-point 
bodies.  For  occasional  use,  a  few  lines 
of  leaders  may  be  readily  composed  with 
periods  and  quads  or  spaces.  The  first  or 
chief  editorial  article  of  a  newspaper  is 
know  as  the  leader. 


of  Technical  Terms         133 

Leader  Boxes — Small  special  boxes  for  lead- 
ers ;  they  may  be  laid  upon  the  ordinary 
type  case  or  attached  to  it  temporarily. 
The  usual  stj^le  has  separate  compart- 
ments for  en,  em,  two-em,  and  three-em 
leaders. 

Leaf- — A  leaf  of  a  book  has  two  pages — the 
odd  and  even  ;  this  distinction  between  a 
leaf  and  a  page  should  be  kept  in  mind 
to  avoid  misunderstanding  in  speaking 
of  the  make-up  of  a  book. 

Leaflet — A  small,  thin  pamphlet  or  folder  ; 
more  strictly,  a  sheet  folded  into  leaves 

-     but  not  stitched. 

Lean — Said  of  t}-pe-matter  that  cannot  be 
set  quickly  when  done  by  piece-work,  like 
solid  matter  without  quads  or  open  spaces. 
See  Fat. 

Lean  Type —  That  is,  a  t}-pe  with  a  narrow 
or  condensed  face.  A  lean  or  condensed 
face  is  usually  reckoned  as  one  in  which 
the  alphabet  a  to  z  inclusive  in  lower-case 
measures  less  than  1 2  y^  ems  of  its  own 
body.  A  medium  width  is  from  13  to  15 
ems,  and  a  fat  type  over  15  ems. 

Leatherette  and  Leatheroid — An  imitation  of 
leather  made  of  embossed  paper  or  cloth, 
used  for  covers. 

Ledger  Paper — Heavy,  strong  writing  paper 
of  best  quality,  so  named  because  it  is  used 
in  ledgers  and  account  books. 


134  The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Legal  Cap —  A  size  of  writing  paper  i2^x 
I S  i^  or  1 2  ^  X  1 6  inches,  flat  or  unfolded. 
Law  cap  is  12  x  15  or  12^  x  16  inches, 
folded  the  narrow  way ;  this  size,  usually 
folded  the  long  way,  is  foolscap.  See 
Foolscap. 

Legal  Work — See  Law  Printing. 

Let-in  Note  —  More  commonly  termed  cut- 
in  note.    See  Cut-i7i  Note. 

Letter  Boards — Movable  shelves,  under  im- 
posing tables,  in  racks,  or  elsewhere,  upon 
which  standing  type  forms  are  kept. 

Letter  Foundry  —  A  type  foundry. 

Letterhead —  A  printed  heading  on  writing 
paper.  The  most  common  sizes  for  busi- 
ness purposes  are  10^x8)^  to  1 1  ^xg)^. 
These  are  more  correctly  half-letter  sheets. 
Letter  paper  is  usually  cut  from  post  folio, 
17x22  inches,  or  packet  folio,  19x24,  cut 
in  two,  and  consists  of  folded  sheets.  Other 
sizes  are  also  used. 

Letterpress  Printing — Printing  from  t)'pe,  as 
distinguished  from  lithographic  work  and 
that  done  from  copperplate,  steelplate  and 
other  engravings. 

Letter  Rack  —  A  frame  for  holding  cases  or 
shelves  for  metal  or  wood  type. 

Lettering — The  act  of  making  or  impressing 
letters  ;  the  letters  so  made. 

Ligature — Two  letters  tied  together  and  cast 
on  the  same  body,  like  ft,  ff ,  a;,  ce,  ft,  It),  etc. 


of  Technical  Terms        135 

Liberty  Press — A  platen  jobbing  machine 
in  which  the  two  parts,  bed  and  platen, 
were  hinged  together  at  the  bottom  by 
an  extension  of  the  frames,  and  operated 
equally  in  making  the  impression.  The 
inking  rollers  were  placed  between  up- 
rights and  moved  up  and  down  but  not 
sideways  as  the  form  and  ink-disk  passed 
under  them.  The  press  was  invented  by 
Frederick  O.  Degener  of  New  York,  and 
was  first  called  the  Degener  press.  Forty 
years  ago  this  and  the  press  invented  by 
George  P.  Gordon,  were  the  styles  of  job- 
bing machines  in  general  use  in  this  coun- 
try.   The  Liberty  press  is  now  rarely  seen. 

Lift  —  When  a  form  locks  up  so  that  it  may 
be  taken  from  the  imposing  stone  without 
types  dropping  out,  it  lifts  all  right.  A  lift 
of  paper  is  the  quantity  put  on  the  feed- 
board  of  a  press  at  one  time.  In  England 
an  elevator,  for  carrying  forms,  paper,  etc., 
from  one  floor  to  another  is  a  "  lift." 

Light-Face — A  term  used  to  describe  a  style 
of  type  having  a  face  very  much  lighter 
than  usual,    light  face  gothic. 

Line  Engraving  —  That  style  of  engraving 
in  which  the  effect  is  produced  by  lines 
or  combinations  of  lines,  in  distinction 
from  halftone  and  similar  work  in  which 
the  effects  are  obtained  by  masses  of  dots 
of  larger  or  smaller  dimensions.  Copper 
and  steel  engravings  made  by  direct  in- 


^J 


136    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

cision  of  the  graver  or  the  dr}-point,  wood 
engravings,  as  well  as  zinc  etchings  made 
from  pen  drawings,  are  classed  as  line 
engravings. 

Lmc  Formers  —  Curved  pieces  of  brass,  of 
the  height  of  quads  and  leads,  to  hold 
curved  lines  of  type.  They  were  made  in 
sets,  with  clasps  or  catches  to  hold  the 
ends  of  the  lines  in  place.  The  practice  of 
setting  curved  lines  of  type  is  now  nearly 
obsolete,  and  the  use  of  line  formers  is 
rare  nowadays, 

Litien-Faced — Paper  or  cardboard  having 
one  or  both  sides  faced  with  linen,  to 
strengthen  it ;  for  book  covers,  children's 
books,  etc. 

Li}ien  Paper — A  thin,  strong  writing  paper 
made  mostly  from  linen  rags.  The  com- 
mon grades  have  a  rough  surface  which, 
with  the  sizing,  render  it  more  difficult  to 
print  on  than  common  print  paper.  Linen- 
finish  is  now  popular,  and  many  kinds  of 
writing  and  cover  papers,  and  also  card- 
board, are  now  made  with  a  surface  which 
imitates  the  weave  of  linen  cloth. 

Lining — The  exact  alignment  horizontally 
of  the  bottoms  of  the  letters  of  a  font.  In 
addition  to  the  obvious  requirement  of 
making  all  the  letters  of  a  single  font  line 
with  each  other  perfectly,  American  type- 
foundries  have  recently  adopted  the  prac- 
tice of  casting  type-faces  on  uniform  lining 


I 


of  Technical  Terms        137 

systems,  variously  known  as  American  line 
(American  Type  Founders  Co.),  Standard 
line  (Inland  Type  Foundr}^),  Uniform  line 
(Barnhart  Brothers  &  Spindler),  Universal 
line  (Keystone  Foundry),  etc.  The  old-time 
practice  was  to  cast  the  characters  of  a  font 
so  that  they  would  line  up  only  with  their 
mates  of  the  same  size  and  style,  without 
reference  to  any  other  style  of  type.  When 
the  compositor  had  occasion  to  use  in  one 
line  two  or  more  kinds  of  type  of  the  same 
body,  their  faces  were  rarely  on  an  even 
line  but  were  irregular  like  these  words. 
This  made  it  necessar)^  to  use  thin  leads, 
cards  or  pieces  of  paper  above  and  below 
different  parts  of  the  type-line  in  order  to 
get  the  faces  in  line  —  an  operation  more 
or  less  troublesome  and  time-consuming. 
By  the  new  lining  system,  all  the  faces 
made  on  any  given  size  of  body  are  cast 
to  align  with  each  other,  as  illustrated  in 
this  line,  and  they  need  no  more  ad- 
justment than  if  they  were  all  of  the  same 
font.  The  shoulder,  or  blank  space  at  the 
bottom  of  the  letter,  increases  gradually 
with  the  increase  in  the  size  of  the  type, 
so  that  a  word  of  small  type  placed  beside 
a  larger  size  must  have  some  spacing 
material  below  as  well  as  above  it,  to  keep 
it  in  its  right  place.  The  lining  system 
provides  also  that  this  difference  in  align- 
ment of  different  sizes  of  type  is  graduated 
by  points,  and  when  large  and  small  sizes 


38    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

are  used  in  the  same  line  the  justification 
may  be  made  by  the  use  of  point  leads, 
making  pieces  of  cards  and  paper  unnec- 
essary, and  securing  greater  accuracy  and 
solidity.  All  faces  cast  on  the  same  size  are 
not,  however,  cast  on  the  same  line,  but 
are  classified  usually  into  three  groups. 
One  group  embraces  the  great  majority  of 
faces,  those  having  capitals  and  lower- 
case with  normal  descending  letters,  g  j 
p  y.  Another  group  embraces  fonts  which 
consist  of  capitals  only,  or  of  letters  having 
very  short  descenders,  which  may  be  made 
lower  on  the  body.  A  third  group  in- 
cludes those  faces  having  ver)'  long  de- 
scenders, and  which  must  be  high  on  the 
body,  like  script  types. 

A  common  class  of  lining  t}'pes  in  job- 
bing work  are  the  ''combination  series," 
or  those  having  two  or  more  sizes  of  face 
(usually  fonts  of  capitals  only)  cast  on 
one  size  of  the  body.  Each  face  is  made 
to  line  with  the  others  on  the  same  body, 
and  all  the  faces  may  be  readily  used  in 
combination,  with  a  single  size  of  spaces 
and  quads.  In  order  to  readily  distinguish 
one  size  of  face  from  another,  the  nicks  on 
the  type  of  each  are  varied,  a  single  nick 
for  one  face,  two  nicks  for  another,  etc. 

XlTEJSE   ASK  CAI-T.KD   I^ININOf     TYPES 
Four  sizes  of  faces  on  d-point  body 

MMM     MMMm 

Three  sizes  on  12-point      Four  sizes  on  6-point 


of  Technical  Terms         139 

Lining  Figures  —  That  is,  figures,  usually  of 
modern  cut.  that  are  cast  so  that  they  line 
together  at  the  bottom,  like  1234567890, 
in  distinction  from  the  old-style  figures : 
1234567890.  Old-style  figures  in  some 
fonts  are  now  cast  "  on  the  line." 

Lining  Papers — The  end  papers,  plain,  col- 
ored, or  marbled,  inside  the  covers  of  a 
bound  book  ;  often  called  the  end  papers. 

Linotype — See  MergeJithaler Linotype  Machine. 

Lifiotype  Column  Pules — Are  different  than 
those  used  for  ordinary  type  matter,  being 
beveled  so  that  the  foot  of  the  rule  is 
thicker  than  the  upper  part,  to  hold  the 
bottom  of  the  slugs  tightly. 

Lifiotype  Galley — As  linot}-pe  slugs  need  only 
to  be  fastened  at  the  foot  of  the  galley, 
without  a  sidestick,  for  proving,  the  upper 
side  of  a  linotype  galley  needs  no  ledge 
for  holding  side  stick  and  quoins ;  it  has 
instead,  a  movable  clamp  for  holding  the 
lines  at  the  bottom  of  the  column. 

Linotype  Planer — For  planing  down  linotype 
slugs  in  a  form.  Used  in  the  same  man- 
ner as  an  ordinary  planer.  It  has  a  cor- 
rugated rubber  face  for  removing  the  burs 
which  the  machine  often  leaves  on  the  face 
edge  of  the  letters.  A  brush  is  sometimes 
used  for  this  latter  purpose. 

Linotype  Slug — A  line  of  t}'pe  or  border  in 
one  piece,  as  is  produced  by  the  Mergen- 
thaler  Linot>'pe. 


140    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Lithography  —  The  process  of  printing  from 
a  fiat  stone.  The  design  to  be  printed  is 
drawn  on  a  stone  of  peculiar  qualit\'  with 
a  specially-prepared  ink,  which  clings  to 
and  dries  on  the  surface.  The  surface 
is  then  subjected  to  the  action  of  a  weak 
acid  that  hardens  the  ink  and  slightly 
etches  and  lowers  the  unprotected  parts. 
The  process  of  printing  first  requires 
moistening  the  surface  with  water,  which 
is  absorbed  by  the  blank  parts  and  repel- 
led by  the  hard,  greasy  lines  of  the  design. 
Printing  ink  is  then  rolled  over  the  stone 
and  is,  in  turn,  repelled  by  the  wet  parts 
but  adheres  to  the  ink-drawn  design.  The 
stone  thus  prepared  is  ready  to  make  an 
impression  on  the  sheet.  It  will  thus  be 
seen  that  the  theory  of  lithographic  print- 
ing is  based  upon  the  repulsion  between 
grease  and  water.  The  production  of  the 
design  depends  upon  chemical  manipula- 
tion of  the  printing  surface.  It  is  the  most 
flexible  of  all  methods  of  printing.  The 
invention  of  lithography  is  due  to  Alois 
Senefelder,  an  actor  of  Munich,  and  was 
the  result  of  an  accidental  impression  on 
a  stone.  He  employed  it  in  printing  music 
and  afterwards,  with  others,  developed 
the  art  for  commercial  purposes.  Like 
other  methods  of  printing,  lithographic 
work  was  formerly  done  on  hand-presses, 
but  since  about  1S60  power-presses  have 
been  employed  and  the  progress  of  the 


of  Technical  Terms        141 

art  has  made  rapid  strides.  Many  new 
and  improved  processes  and  details  of 
manipulation  have  been  invented,  both 
for  preparing  the  design  on  the  stone  and 
for  printing  from  the  stone  when  ready. 
The  preparation  of  the  stone  is  done  in 
several  ways :  by  drawing  on  it  with  a 
special  chalk  or  crayon  ;  by  line-drawing 
with  pencil  or  pen  with  lithographic  ink  ; 
by  engraving  through  a  thin  film  with 
diamond  or  steel  points  ;  by  drawing  or 
writing  on  prepared  paper  for  transferring 
on  stone;  bytransferringimpressionstaken 
from  copper  or  steel  plates,  wood-cuts,  or 
type  ;  by  photographing  on  stone  ;  and  by 
wash-drawing  on  stone.  The  lithographic 
hand-press  has  a  movable  bed,  like  that 
of  the  typographic  hand-press.  The  im- 
pression is  made,  not  with  a  platen,  as 
for  a  type  form,  but  with  a  straight-edge 
scraper  at  the  press-head.  The  bed  moves 
under  this  scraper,  which  extends  across 
the  width  of  the  stone,  and  imparts  great 
pressure  on  a  small  area  at  a  time.  The 
first  operation,  when  printing,  is  to  moisten 
the  surface  of  the  stone,  so  that  the  sub- 
sequent inking  will  leave  ink  only  on  the 
design.  The  inking  roller  is  then  passed 
over  it  ;  when  sufficient  ink  has  been 
applied,  the  sheet  is  laid  on,  the  tympan 
laid  down  and  the  bed  moved  in  under 
the  scraper.  The  back  of  the  tympan  is 
of  leather,   zinc,  or  brass,  and  is  slightly 


142    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

oiled  to  allow  the  scraper  to  pass  over  it 
with  as  little  side-resistance  as  possible. 
Lithographic  rollers  are  not  made  of  glue 
and  molasses,  like  those  used  for  typo- 
graphic work,  but  consist  of  wooden  or 
iron  cores,  wound  with  felt  or  flannel  and 
covered  with  leather.  Lithographic  power 
presses  are  similar  to  cylinder  presses 
employed  for  typographic  work.  A  litho- 
graphic stone,  after  being  used,  may  be 
ground  down  and  have  a  fresh  surface 
prepared  for  a  new  design.  Thus,  different 
thicknesses  of  stones  must  be  used,  and 
the  distance  between  the  bed  and  cylinder 
varies  more  than  on  a  type-printing  press. 
The  cylinder  is  covered  with  a  thick, 
elastic  blanket  or  sheet  of  India  rubber. 
The  necessary  moisture  is  applied  to  the 
face  of  the  stone  by  rollers,  which  are  at 
the  opposite  end  of  the  press  from  the 
inking  rollers.  These  damping  rollers 
consist  of  iron  cores,  wound  with  several 
thicknesses  of  flannel  and  covered  on  the 
outside  with  a  cotton  or  linen  fabric. 
Chromo-lithography  is  the  process  by 
which  one  picture  is  printed  from  many 
stones  in  succession,  each  stone  printing 
a  different  color.  The  comparative  ease 
in  making  transfers  of  a  design  from  one 
stone  to  another,  and  the  greater  degree 
of  accuracy  in  registering  a  number  of 
colors  over  each  other,  have  especially 
adapted  lithography  to  color  work.  Photo- 


of  Technical  Terms        143 

lithography  is  the  process  by  which  the 
design  is  placed  on  the  stone  by  photog- 
raphy instead  of  by  hand-drawing. 

Litho  —  Brief  for  lithograph. 

Lithotint  — A  kind  of  lithography  by  which 
the  effect  of  a  tinted  drawing  is  produced, 
as  if  made  with  india  ink.  A  picture  made 

'     by  this  process. 

Lithotype  —  A  print  and  the  process  of  pro- 
ducing an  impression  in  ink  from  a  gela- 
tin film  which  has  been  chemically  treated, 
the  method  being  similar  to  lithography. 

Literal  Errors  —  In  proofs,  turned  letters, 
transposed  letters,  wrong-font  letters,  and 
the  like,  as  distinguished  from  errors  of 
orthography,  grammar,  punctuation,  etc. 

Live  Matter — Type  composition  or  pages 
that  have  not  yet  been  printed  or  moulded 
for  electrotyping  ;  after  it  has  been  so  used 
and  there  is  no  further  need  of  it,  it  is 
dead  matter,  ready  for  distribution. 

Locking  Up — Tightening  a  form  by  means  of 
quoins  or  screws,  to  prepare  it  for  working 
on  the  press. 

Locus  Slgilll — Latin,  the  place  of  the  seal ;  the 
initials  [l.  s.]  placed  before  signatures  in 
legal  documents,  etc.  The  type-foundries 
supply  this  in  several  styles  for  use  in 
printed  forms. 

Logotype — Two  or  more  letters,  or  a  whole 
word,  cast  on  one  body. 


144    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Long  Cross  —  The  long  cross-bar  of  a  book 
or  newspaper  chase;  when  it  has  two,  the 
short  bar  is  the  sliort  cross. 

Long  Letters — The  itaUc/,/,  Q,  or  any  letter 
so  made  that  it  covers  the  type  body  up 
and  down.  Also,  vowels  or  other  letters 
with  a  stroke  over  them  to  denote  long 
pronunciation,  as  a  e  i  6,  etc. 

Long  Measure  —  A  width  of  line  longer  than 
common  for  the  size  of  t)'pe  employed.  A 
measure  of  twenty -five  picas  (12-point) 
would  be  normal  for  12-point  type  ;  for  6- 
point  type  it  would  be  long. 

Lj)ng  Page  —  A  page  longer  than  the  pre- 
scribed length.  In  making  up  book  and 
catalogue  work,  it  is  customary  to  use  a 
gauge  by  which  pages  may  be  made  of 
uniform  length  ;  but  it  may  often  happen 
that,  because  of  a  table,  cut,  or  some  other 
feature,  a  long  page  here  and  there  is  un- 
avoidable. 

Long  Primer — A  size  of  type,  in  the  old-style 
names,  between  bourgeois  and  small  pica; 
approximately  equal  to  lo-point. 

Lj>ng  S —  The  old-st}-le  roman  lower-case 
f  now  obsolete,  except  in  reprints  or  imi- 
tations of  old-style  work.  It  is  scarcely  dis- 
tinguished from  the  f.  the  only  difference 
being  the  omission  of  the  cross-tick  on 
the  right  side  of  the  upright  stem. 

Lo7}g  Tkvch'es — A  plan  of  imposition  in  which 
the  pages  of  a  i2mo  are  laid  down  side 
by  side  in  two  rows  of  six  pages  each. 


of  Technical  Terms        145 

Low  Case  —  Case  with  little  type  in  it.  A 
case  is  said  to  be  "empty"  when  impor- 
tant boxes  contain  no  letters. 

Low  or  Ljnu-to-Paper —  Said  of  a  tj'pe,  cut, 
electro,  or  any  part  thereof,  when  its  face 
does  not  come  up  to  the  exact  height  of 
the  balance  of  the  form.  Very  low  parts 
in  a  printing  form  should  be  brought  up 
from  below  by  means  of  underlays,  in  or- 
der that  they  may  be  properly  inked  when 
the  rollers  pass  over.  See  Height-to-Paper . 

Jjmi  Spaces  and  Quads — Those  in  most  com- 
mon use,  distinguished  from  high  spaces 
and  quads  used  with  t}-pe  to  be  moulded 
for  electrotyping.  See  High  Spaces,  Quads, 
afid  Leads. 

Jjnv-Line  or  Low-to-Line — See  LLigh-to-Line. 

Lower  Case  —  That  is,  the  lower  case  of  the 
usual  pair  as  they  are  on  the  compositor's 
frame.  Being  the  nearest  to  his  hand,  it 
contains  the  letters  and  characters  most 
frequently  used,  namely,  the  small  letters 
of  the  alphabet ;  hence  these  small  letters 
are  termed  lower-case  letters,  even  when 
placed  elsewhere, to  distinguish  them  from 
the  capitals  and  small  capitals. 

Lye — Used  for  washing  type  after  printing. 
Its  use  is  not  so  common  now  as  formerly, 
as  the  introduction  of  benzine,  which  is  in 
common  use  for  many  purposes,  makes  the 
latter  more  convenient.  The  occasional 
use  of  lye,  however,  is  necessar}'  in  order 


146    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

to  keep  type  properly  cleaned.  A  lye  may 
be  made  from  potash  well  diluted,  and 
used  warm  if  possible.  It  should  be  thor- 
oughly rinsed  off  with  clear  water.  Before 
washing  type  with  lye.  electros  or  cuts  with 
wood  bases,  wood  furniture,  reglets.  etc., 
should  be  removed  from  the  form,  as  the 
lye  and  water  will  quickly  spoil  such 
material. 


M^ — In  the  Roman  numbers  M  signifies  one 
thousand  (1000).  In  making  a  new  face 
of  type  the  lower-case  m  is  used  to  fix  the 
"  line  "  of  the  face  on  the  body.  (See  H.) 
As  an  initial  letter  or  part  of  abbreviations 
M.  and  m.  have  many  significations,  as 
may  be  seen  by  reference  to  a  dictionary 
list  of  abbreviations. 

J/'j — Second  quality  in  paper  stock;  that 
which  is  not  up  to  the  standard  in  the  first 
sorting  at  the  mill,  though  in  some  cases 
the  imperfections  may  be  so  trivial  as  to  be 
detected  only  by  an  expert.  R  (or  rctree)  is 
paper-maker's  term  for  inferior  paper. 

Mackle  —  When  part  of  the  impression  ap- 
pears double  because  of  a  shifting  of  the 
paper  while  the  impression  is  being  made. 

M.F.  or  m.f.  —  Machine-finished,  applied  to 
common  grades  of  paper  the  surface  of 
which  is  smooth  enough  for  line-cuts  but 
not  for  fine  halftones. 


of  Technical  Terms       147 

Majuscule  —  A  capital  letter.  The  earliest 
form  of  writing  in  Latin  was  in  this  style, 
but  after  a  time  the  scribes  found  it  easier 
to  make  small  letters  {minuscule)  and  cap- 
itals were  used  only  for  emphasis  and  or- 
namental purposes. 

Making  Margin — Putting  furniture  and  other 
blanks  around  the  pages  in  a  chase,  so 
that  they  will  be  printed  in  the  proper 
place  on  the  sheet. 

Making  Ready  —  Preparing  a  form  on  the 
press  for  printing,  by  giving  each  part  the 
proper  impression,  setting  the  gauges,  etc.  , 
The  make-ready  is  the  tympan-sheet  and  V' 
overlays  for  a  particular  form.  Making 
ready  comprises  all  the  operations  needed 
to  make  a  satisfactory  impression  from  a 
form. 

Make  Even — To  make  the  copy  come  out  even 
at  the  end  of  the  line.  When  copy  is  divided 
into  takes  in  the  middle  of  paragraphs,  it 
is  necessary  for  the  compositor  having  the 
first  part  of  the  paragraph  to  end  even 
so  that  it  may  close  up  to  the  next  take, 
which  has  been  started  at  the  beginning  of 
a  line.  This  custom  was  formerly  common 
in  newspaper  and  other  hurried  work,  when 
composition  was  done  by  hand  and  work 
was  given  in  small  quanities  to  many  com- 
positors.    See  Begin  Even,  End  Even. 

Making  Up  —  To  arrange  lines  of  type  into 
uniform  pages,  with  headings,  page  num-     y 


148    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

bers,  foot-notes,  etc.,  including  the  needed 
blank  spaces.  Making  up  usually  includes 
all  the  operations  needed  after  type  has 
been  composed  and  corrected  on  the  gal- 
ley until  it  is  ready  to  place  on  the  impos- 
ing stone  and  lock  up  in  the  chase.  In  the 
case  of  newspaper  and  other  large  pages, 
making  up  is  done  in  the  chase  on  the  im- 
posing stone. 

Mallet — A  large  wooden  hammer,  formerly 
used  with  a  shooting-stick  to  drive  up 
wooden  quoins.  It  is  now  rarely  needed 
by  the  printer. 

Maltese  Cross  —  A  religious  sign  ^  used  in 
rituals  and  prayer-books  in  places  where 
the  sign  of  the  cross  was  to  be  made  in 
the  service.     See  Religious  Signs. 

Manifold  Paper —  A  very  thin,  strong  paper, 
covered  with  carbon  black  on  one  side.  It 
is  used  to  make  duplicate  copies  at  one  writ- 
ing ;  by  placing  it  face  down  on  a  blank 
sheet  and  laying  another  blank  sheet  on 
top,  the  writing  made  on  the  top  sheet  with 
a  strong  pressure  will  transfer  the  black  on 
the  manifold  sheet  to  the  blank  sheet  be- 
neath. It  is  much  used  to  make  duplicate 
copies  on  typewriter, 

Manila  Paper — A  strong  paper,  usually  of 
yellowish  or  light  brown  color,  made  from 
jute,  gunny,  old  rope,  etc.;  so  called  be- 
cause originally  made  from  Manila  hemp. 
Cheap  grades  are  made  from  strong  wood 
pulps. 


of  Technical  Terms        149 

Manuscript  —  Now  understood  to  include 
t}'pe-\vritten  as  well  as  hand-written  words. 
The  printer's  copy  may  be  manuscript  or 
reprint.  Abbreviations,  MS.,  plural  mss. 

Map  Type  —  A  series  of  cast  characters  with 
which  a  compositor  could  set  up  a  map 
or  a  diagram  in  type.  The  font  consists  of 
round,  square,  angular,  and  straight  lines 
which  can  be  put  together  with  descriptive 
words,  letters,  and  figures,  so  as  to  pro- 
duce a  diagram  quickly  and  economically. 
For  the  compositor's  guidance  the  copy 
was  drawn  upon  a  sheet  lined  into  small 
squares.  Since  the  introduction  of  process 
engraving,  by  which  work  of  this  kind  can 
be  done  better,  the  use  of  map  t}-pe  is  rare. 

Marbling — A  process  of  decorating  sheets 
of  paper  and  edges  of  books  with  varie- 
gated colors  in  irregular  patterns. 

Marginal  Notes — Side-notes,  usually  set  in 
type  smaller  than  the  main  page,  placed  in 
the  margin. 

Marking  Ink — Indelible,  to  mark  linen,  etc. 

Mary  —  In  jeffing,  "if  none  of  the  nicks  ap- 
pear upper-most  in  throwing,  the  throw  is 
called  a  mary,"  or  a  moUie. 

Mathematical  Signs.  —  The  arbitrary-  marks 
used  in  the  science  of  numbers  and  quan- 
tities. Although  the  common  Arabic  and 
Roman  numerals  are  properly  included  in 
the  signs  of  this  class,  mathematical  signs 
are  usually  understood  as  those  used  in 


150    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

arithmetic  and  algebra.  For  printer's  use, 
the  type  foundries  cast  them  in  sizes  from 
6-point  to  i2-point  and  sell  them  in  special 
fonts.  The  following  characters  are  made 
by  the  American  Type  Founders  Company. 
-\-  Plus;  indicating  addition. 
—  Minus;  indicating  subtraction. 

-|-  or  ^  Plus  or  minus ;  indicating  that  the  num- 
ber following  may  be  either  -f-  or  — . 

X    Multiplied  by  ;  multiplication  is  also  indicated 
by  •  thus,  a  '  b. 

-^  Divided  by ;  division  is  also  sometimes  indi- 
cated thus,  10:  5  =  2. 

^  Equal  to. 

>  Is  greater  than. 

•<  Is  less  than. 

-^  The  difference  between. 

=C=  Is  equivalent  to. 
j    Integration. 
:  and  ;  ;    Proportion,  as  2  :  4  : :  3  :  6. 

CX  Varies  as ;  symbol  of  variation  ;  thus,  x  OC  y 
is  read  "  x  varies  as  v." 

00  This  sign  represents  a  variable  number  that 
increases  without  limit ;  infinity. 

0    Wanting;  nothing;   zero. 

,*.  Therefore. 

*,*  Because. 

2  The  sum. 

....  Continuation  ;  and  so  forth. 

The  radical  sign,  used  to  denote  square  root ; 
when  any  other  than  square  is  expressed  a  fig- 
ure denoting  the  order  of  the  root  is  placed 
above  the  sign,  like  f   cube  root,  etc. 


V 


of  Technical  Terms        151 

J_  Perpendicular  to. 
II    Parallel. 

'^  Arc  of  circle. 
°    Degree  of  circle. 
'    Minute  of  circle. 
"    Second  of  circle. 

<  Angle. 

[_  Right  angle. 

Q  Square. 

Q  Circle,  360  degrees. 

□  Rectangle. 

A  Triangle. 
Matrix  —  The  shallow  mould  in  which  the 

face  of  a  type  is  cast ;  also  the  papier- 
mache  mould  made  from  a  page  of  type 
for  stereotyping. 
Matter — Composed  type. 
Measure —  The  width  of  the  column  or  page 
of  type ;  the  width  to  which  the  composi- 
tor's stick  is  set  for  composing.  Half-meas- 
ure is  when  the  width  of  page  is  composed 
of  two  parts,  each  set  separately,  and  then 
placed  side  by  side,  as  in  tables,  lists  of 
names,  etc.  The  unit  of  measure  in  book 
and  job  rooms  is  commonly  the  pica  (12- 
point),  and  leads,  rules,  quotations,  and 
other  furniture  are  measured  and  named 
by  their  sizes  in  picas.  In  newspaper  work 
the  measure  of  columns  often  is  gauged 
by  sizes  other  than  the  pica,  the  common 
widths  of  a  single  column  varying  between 
twelve  and  thirteen  pica  ems.  The  adjust- 
ing of  a  composing  stick  to  the  required 
measure  should  always  be  done  with  care, 


152    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

and,  in  order  to  insure  accurate  justifica- 
tion of  a  page,  it  should  not  be  changed 
until  all  the  lines  of  that  length  are  com- 
pleted. To  set  the  composing  stick  accur- 
ately, use  pica  (12-point)  lower-case  m's 
set  sideways.  Some  composing  rooms  are 
supplied  with  a  set  of  brass  or  steel  slugs 
or  blocks,  by  which  compositors  are  re- 
quired to  set  their  sticks. 

Measuring  Up — To  ascertain  the  amount  of 
type  set  by  a  compositor.  This  is  done  by 
multiplying  the  number  of  ems  in  one  line 
by  the  number  of  lines  set,  the  result  be- 
ing in  ems  of  the  size  of  type  used.  In 
England  the  calculation  is  made  by  ens 
instead  of  ems.  In  measuring  up  t}'pe  for 
the  purpose  of  finding  the  cost  of  composi- 
tion, headings,  leads,  slugs,  and  quad-lines 
are  usually  included  as  composed  lines  and 
the  whole  measured  up  as  if  solid  matter. 

Medium  —  A  size  of  printing  paper,  19x24 
inches,  writing  paper,  18x23  inches.  The 
size  of  double  medium.  24  (now  often  25) 
X  38,  is  in  this  country  the  most  common 
size  for  printing  paper  of  all  kinds. 

Medical  Sigtis  —  Those  in  common  use  are  : 
li  (Latin,  Recipe)  take ;  aa.  of  each  ;  3 
ounce  ;  3  drachm  ;  3  scruple.  Contrac- 
tions and  initials  (of  Latin  words  usually) 
are  numerous  in  medical  literature. 

Mergent/ia/er  Linotype  —  A  line-casting  ma- 
chine invented  by  Ottmar  Mergenthaler, 
first  put  into  practical  use  in  the  office  of 


of  Technical  Terms        153 

the  New  York  Tribune  in  1886.  The  first 
machines  were  quite  different  in  construc- 
tion from  those  of  the  present  day,  though 
the  principle  is  the  same.  It  consists, 
briefly,  of  a  mechanism  for  assembling 
brass  dies  or  matrices  in  lines,  presenting 
them  in  front  of  a  mould  in  which  a  slug, 
with  the  characters  of  the  matrices,  is  cast, 
and  returning  the  matrices  to  their  proper 
channels  for  use  again.  The  brass  mat- 
rices have  the  characters  of  the  alphabet, 
figures,  points,  etc.,  sunk  on  their  edges ; 
these  are  held  in  a  magazine,  which  is  an 
arrangement  of  channels  in  an  inclined 
position  above  a  keyboard.  By  the  pushing 
down  of  the  keys  the  required  matrix  is 
released,  which  drops  and  is  carried  into 
place  by  a  small  belt.  Wedge-shaped 
spacebands  are  also  controlled  by  a  key, 
and  when  enough  matrices  and  space- 
bands  are  assembled  to  fill  the  line  a  bell 
rings.  By  depressing  a  lever  the  line  of 
matrices  is  then  moved  in  front  of  a  mould 
fixed  on  one  side  of  a  wheel  and  behind 
which  is  a  pot  of  melted  metal.  The  wedge 
spacebands  are  then  forced  upward  be- 
tween the  matrices,  thus  justifying  the  line. 
As  the  line  is  justified,  a  plunger  in  the 
metal-pot  forces  a  quanity  of  metal  into 
the  mould  and  against  the  line  of  matrices, 
forming  a  slug  with  the  letters  in  relief  on 
one  edge.  After  the  cast  is  made,  a  turn 
of  the  mould-wheel  and  other  mechanism 


154    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

shaves  off  the  surplus  metal  on  the  foot  of 
the  slug  and  pushes  it  between  knife-edges, 
where  it  is  trimmed  on  the  sides,  and  then 
out  on  to  a  galley.  The  metal  is  heated  to  a 
liquid  state  by  a  small  gas  furnace  under 
the  metal-pot.  After  the  matrices  have 
been  used  for  the  line,  they  are  lifted  by 
an  arm  to  the  top  of  the  machine  and  dis- 
tributed again,  each  character  in  its  par- 
ticular channel  in  the  magazine.  The  ma- 
trices for  each  character  have  a  set  of 
notches  or  teeth  different  from  ever)*  other 
character ;  and  as  they  are  moved  along 
the  distributing  apparatus  by  horizontal 
screws,  each  matrix  reaches  a  point  where 
its  notches  are  matched  and  it  drops  into 
the  top  of  its  channel.  The  work  of  the 
operator  is  to  manipulate  the  keyboard 
and,  at  the  end  of  each  line,  move  a  lever 
which  engages  the  mechanism  that  carries 
the  assembled  line  to  the  mould.  All  other 
operations  are  performed  by  mechanical 
power.  There  are  a  number  of  matrices 
of  each  character,  and  the  arrangement 
of  the  machine  is  such  that  three  lines  of 
matrices  may  be  kept  in  operation  at  once 
— one  being  assembled,  one  at  the  cast- 
ing mould,  and  the  third  being  distributed. 
The  advantage  of  the  Linotype  for  com- 
position are  that  the  justification  is  auto- 
matic ;  distribution  of  type  is  not  needed, 
as,  after  use,  the  slugs  are  thrown  back  in- 
to the  metal-pot ;  and  composition  may  be 


I 


of  Technical  Terms        155 

done  at  a  rate  three  or  four  times  faster 
than  by  hand.  The  newest  models  of  the 
Linotype  have  many  improvements,  such 
as  quick-change  double-magazines,  where- 
by two  or  more  different  faces  may  be  cast 
on  the  same  machine  ;  an  attachment  for 
tabular  work ;  long-measure  moulds,  and 
two  sizes  of  moulds  in  the  same  wheel ; 
double-letter  matrices,  on  which  two  dif- 
ferent faces  are  made,  one  above  the  other, 
on  the  edge  of  the  same  matrix,  the  desired 
face  being  adjusted  to  the  mould  by  rais- 
ing or  lowering  the  line  of  matrices. 

Meridian  —  A  size  of  type  in  the  old-style 
bodies  equal  to  four-line  small  pica;  rarely 
used. 

Metaliihography  —  A  recent  term,  to  denote 
printing  from  zinc  and  aluminum,  which 
are  used  as  substitutes  for  stone  in  lithog- 
raphy. Metal  printing  surfaces  of  this 
kind  may  be  used  on  rotary  presses,  where 
stones  cannot  be. 

Metal  Quoins — Patented  iron  quoins,  made 
in  several  styles,  as  distinguished  from  the 
old  style  wooden  quoins. 

Mezzo  Engravifig. — A  method  of  copperplate 
engraving  in  which  the  entire  surface  of 
the  plate  is  slightly  roughened,  after  which 
the  drawing  is  traced  and  then  the  portions 
intended  to  show  high-light  are  strength- 
ened. An  impression  made  from  a  plate  so 
produced,  characterized  by  an  even  grad- 
uation of  tones. 


156    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Metal  Furniture  —  Blanks  of  various  sizes 
cast  in  metal.    See  Furniture. 

Midget  Safety  Quoins — These  are  small  brass 
quoins  that  can  be  used  in  spaces  i8-points 
wide,  too  narrow  to  admit  the  ordinar)- 
metal  quoins.  Two  brass  pieces  are  fitted 
together  wedge-fashion  so  that  by  tapping 
one  piece  down  flat  with  the  other  their 
sides  will  expand  and  tighten  the  form. 

Miehle  Press  —  A  flat-bed  cylinder  press  in- 
vented by  Robert  Miehle  of  Chicago.  It 
is  made  in  several  styles  and  sizes  —  a  two- 
roller  pony,  two-roller  and  four-roller  book 
and  job  machine,  etc.,  as  well  as  a  two-color 
machine.  A  distinctive  feature  is  the  mech- 
anism which  carries  the  bed  and  cylinder 
in  harmony  while  the  impression  is  made, 
the  bed  then  gradually  slowing  down  while 
it  passes  over  the  center  and  starts  on  the 
return  movement.  Because  of  its  careful, 
construction,  insuring  strong  impression, 
close  register,  and  capabilit}-  of  high  speed, 
it  has  become  popular  as  a  machine  for 
high-class  miscellaneous  work. 

Mimeograph — An  apparatus  invented  by  Edi- 
son, by  which  stencils  of  written  pages  may 
be  obtained  for  the  production  of  an  indef- 
inite number  of  copies.  A  pointed  stylus 
is  moved  as  in  writing  with  a  lead  pencil 
over  a  kind  of  tough  prepared  paper  placed 
on  a  finely  grooved  steel  plate,  and  the  writ- 
ing is  thus  traced  in  a  series  of  minute  per- 
forations. Stencils  may  also  be  prepared 
on  typewriters. 


of  Technical  Terms        157 

Mill  Board —  A  very  thick  card,  rolled  hard 
and  smooth,  used  for  stiff  book  covers,  etc. 

Minion  —  A  size  of  type  between  nonpareil 
and  brevier  in  the  old-style  type  bodies, 
approximately  7-point.  The  minion  made 
by  different  foundries  often  varied  greatly 
in  size,  as  did  some  of  the  other  old-style 
bodies.  It  is  a  size  much  used  in  news- 
papers, for  notes  and  extracts,  and  for  ref- 
erence works.  Minionette  was  a  size  vary- 
ing slightly  from  the  minion,  being  a  little 
smaller ;  it  was  formerly  sometimes  used 
for  ornamental  borders,  but  as  a  size  for 
type  was  not  used  in  this  country. 

Minntkin  —  A  name  rarely  given  to  types 
half  the  size  of  nonpareil ;  the  names  half- 
nonpareil,  or  3-point,  are  now  given  to  types 
when  made  of  this  size,  such  as  piece-frac- 
tions, accents,  etc. 

Minuscule  —  See  Majuscule. 

Minute  Mark  —  The  mark  '  used  to  denote 
geographical  or  chronological  minutes. 
Two  marks  "  denote  seconds.  This  char- 
acter is  also  used  in  other  ways,  as  in  dic- 
tionaries, spelling  books,  etc.,  to  indicate 
accented  syllables  in  pronunciation  ;  in 
catalogs  and  commercial  forms  to  express 
feet  and  inches,  like  2'  4". 

Misprint  —  A  typographical  error,  made 
either  through  oversight  or  accident. 

Mitering  Machine  —  A  small  bench  machine 
used  to  mitre  brass  rules,  etc. 


158    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Mitre  —  A  bevel  on  the  ends  of  brass  """"^g 
rules  or  other  lines,  so  that  they  may  join  I 
at  an  angle  on  corners  ;  old  printers  I 
termed  them  chamfered  rules. 

ModernKotnan — That  general  style  of  roman 
type-face  which  is  distinguished  from  tlie 
old-style  roman  by  greater  regularity  of 
shapes,  more  precise  curves,  and  delicau- 
hair-lines  and  serifs.  The  first  distincti\  l- 
type  of  this  style  was  made  by  a  French 
printer  and  type-founder.  Bodoni,  about 
1770.  It  has  since  been  ver}-  general!) 
used,  especially  in  books  and  newspapers, 
though  the  old-st}-le  face  has  of  late  yeai  '^ 
grown  in  favor  for  miscellaneous  work.  A 
comparison  of  the  following  letters  with  the 
Caslon  old-style  and  modernized  old-style 
will  show  the  distinctive  features  of  each. 

Modem   Roman 

ABCDEFGHLTKLMNOPQRSTl 

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxvz 

1234567890 

Caslon  Old-style 

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQR 

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 

1234567890 

Moderniicd  Old-stvle 

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQR 

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 
1234567S90 


> 


of  Technical  Terms        159 

Moiiograin  —  A  character  composed  of  one. 
two,  or  more  letters  interwoven.  Initial 
letters  of  names  are  commonly  used  in 
this  manner  and  the  device  employed  for 
stamping  stationery,  cards,  etc. 

Monotint  —  Printing  in  one  tint  of  ink. 

Monetary  Signs  —  $  dollar,  f-  cents,  £  pound 
sterling,  s.  or  /  shilling,  d.  pence,  @  at,  ^ 
per,  %  account,  %  per  cent. 

Mortised — When  a  cut,  electro,  engraving, 
or  type  has  some  part  cut  out,  either  in 
the  interior  or  on  the  sides,  to  allow  of  the 
insertion  of  other  matter,  like  words  or  lines 
of  type,  brass  rules,  etc.  A  large  letter  will 
often  be  mortised  in  its  blank  parts,  to 
allow  closer  fitting  of  small  type  beside  it. 

Morion  Lock-up  —  This  consists  of  one,  two, 
or  more  Wickersham  quoins  attached  to 
a  steel  side-stick,  for  use  in  special  forms 
or  places  for  which  the  side-stick  is  spe- 
cially fitted.  Fixing  the  quoin  on  the  side- 
stick  gives  the  advantage  of  having  to 
handle  only  a  single  piece  on  the  side  of 
a  large  form,  and  the  quoins  are  always 
held  in  place.   See  Wickersham. 

Motto  Indention — To  indent  the  lines  so  that 
a  narrow  paragraph  is  placed  on  the  right 
side  of  the  page ;  often  seen  in  French  title- 
pages,  but  not  common  here.  Sometimes 
called  French  indention. 

Mottled —  Spotted  with  various  colors,  like 
card  and  paper  novelties,  etc. 


i6o    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Mounted —  When  a  sheet  or  print  is  pasted 
on  a  larger  and  heavier  sheet  or  a  card. 
An  electro  or  engraving  is  mounted  on  a 
base  of  wood  or  metal,  to  make  it  type-high. 

Mutton-fist — A  name  sometimes  given  to  the 
index  or  fist  t^ 
,      Mutton  Quad —  An  em  quad.    For  clearer 
V  distinction  in  speaking,  compositors  call 

the  em  a  mutton,  and  the  en  a  /////. 

Multicolor  Type — For  printing  letters  in  two 
or  more  colors.  This  makes  necessary  a 
separate  type  for  each  color,  the  different 
parts  of  each  letter  being  made  to  register 
together.  Wood  types  have  been  made  in 
this  manner  for  use  in  colored  posters. 

Multiple  Mark — The  multiplication  sign  X  • 

Music  Type — For  printing  music.  The  large 
number  of  characters  and  the  complicated 
cases  holding  them  make  music  compo- 
sition much  more  difficult  than  ordinary 
work.  A  great  deal  of  music  printing  is 
done  by  lithography. 

New  departure  —  A  term  given  to  an 
improved  make  of  type-case,  in  which  the 
bottom,  instead  of  being  one  piece  of  thin 
wood,  consists  of  three  plys  of  very  thin 
wood  glued  together  so  that  the  grain  of 
one  ply  crosses  that  of  the  others.  This 
makes  the  bottom  less  liable  to  shrink, 
warp,  or  split  open. 


of  Technical  Terms        i6i 

News  —  Among  printers,  any  thing  or  sub- 
ject pertaining  to  newspaper  work,  and 
the  special  equipment  and  material  used, 
or  the  place  in  which  newspapers  are 
printed ;  as  news  paper,  news  ink,  news 
press,  news  chase,  news  room,  etc. 

New  York  Job  Case  —  A  style  of  type  case 
with  boxes  for  capitals,  lower-case,  and 
small  capitals.  The  lower-case  boxes  are 
reduced  in  size  to  permit  of  two  extra 
rows  of  boxes  at  the  top,  which  accom- 
modate the  extra  font  of  small  capitals. 

New  York  Stand —  A  style  of  case  stand  on 
which  the  capital  case  is  held  on  two 
brackets  slightly  higher  and  nearer  to  the 
front  than  on  the  ordinary  stand. 

Nib  —  The  small  ear  or  projection  on  the 
end  of  a  composing  rule,  by  which  the 
compositor  takes  the  rule  from  between 
lines  after  setting. 

N^ick  —  The  notch  on  the  side  of  a  type.  In 
this  country  and  England  all  foundry-cast 
types  have  the  nicks  on  the  under  side 
of  the  letter.  By  observing  the  nicks  as  he 
sets  from  the  case,  the  compositor  can 
place  the  types  in  the  stick  right  side  up 
without  stopping  to  scrutinize  the  face. 
The  number  of  nicks  on  a  type  varies 
from  one  to  five,  and  they  may  be  made 
in  different  positions.  As  all  the  types  of 
a  font  cast  at  one  time  usually  have  iden- 
tical nicks,  the  variation  in  number  and 


1 62    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

position  of  these  marks  also  serve  to  dis- 
tinguish one  kind  or  size  of  type  from  an- 
other. Wrong-font  letters  may  often  be 
detected  by  a  difference  in  nicks  when  a 
line  is  being  justified  in  the  composing 
stick. 
Nickel  Faced —  Electrotypes  are  sometimes 
nickel-faced  when  they  are  to  be  used  for 
red  ink,  because  of  the  destructive  chem- 
ical action  of  red  ink  and  copper.  The 
nickel-facing  is  commonly  a  deposit  upon 
the  electro,  but  it  is  also  done  by  deposit- 
ing a  shell  of  nickel  instead  of  copper 
directly  on  the  wax-mould  and  mount inu 
this  nickel  shell  in  the  same  manner  as 
an  electro.  Types  have  also  been  nickeled 
by  depositing  a  thin  film  upon  their  faces 
to  add  to  their  durability,  but  this  practice 
is  rare. 

Nippers — Slightly  curved  metal  fingers  fas- 
tened on  a  rod  in  the  opening  of  a  print- 
ing cylinder ;  they  catch  the  edge  of  the 
sheet  at  the  proper  point  as  the  cylinder 
revolves  and  release  the  sheet  after  the 
impression  is  made.  Tweezers  are  some- 
times termed  nippers. 

Nipper  Gauges  —  The  movable  gauges  at 
the  lower  edge  of  the  feed-board  of  a 
cylinder  press  ;  the  nippers  on  the  cylin- 
der catch  the  sheet  after  it  is  fed  to  the 
gauges,  while  the  gauges  rise  slightly  to 
let  the  sheet  pass  under. 


of  Technical  Terms         163 

Nonpareil —  A  size  of  type  equivalent  to  six- 
point  ;  one  of  the  most  common  sizes  in 
use,  half  of  pica.  Several  kinds  of  mate- 
rial are  made  in  nonpareil  or  six-point 
size,  like  nonpareil  brass  rule,  nonpareil 
reglet,  nonpareil  slugs,  etc. 

No.  —  Abbreviation  of  Numero  ;  Number. 
This  is  used  only  before  a  figure  or  other 
numeral,  and  the  capital  N  is  required  ; 
no.  is  not  a  good  form  in  type. 

Note  —  An  explanatory  phrase,  sentence, 
paragraph,  or  brief  statement,  usually  set 
in  smaller  type  than  the  main  text,  like 
foot-note,  side-note,  etc. 

N'ote  Circular — A  circular  or  communica- 
tion printed  on  one  or  more  pages  of  note 
paper.  A  single  leaf  is  a  half-note  ;  a 
folded  sheet  is  a  full-note. 

Note  Heading —  A  printed  heading,  as  of  the 
name,  address,  business,  etc.,  printed  at 
the  top  of  a  sheet  of  note  paper. 

Note  Paper — A  size  of  writing  paper,  one 
half  the  size  of  letter  paper ;  the  most 
common  sizes  used  by  printers  are  com- 
mercial note  {Zy-y  X  II  inches,  folded)  and 
packet  note  (9^4  x  12  inches,  folded). 

N'ote  of  Admiration  —  The  exclamation  mark 
[1]  was  formerly  sometimes  thus  called. 
This  mark  is  also  called  a  screamer. 

Numbering —  The  printing  of  figures  in  con- 
secutive order  on  envelopes,  tickets,  cou- 
pons, and  other  work. 


164    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Numbering  Macliine — A  compact  mechan- 
ism for  printing  numbers  in  consecutive 
order.  It  consists  of  two  or  more  small 
wheels,  each  having  on  its  periphery  the 
figures  i  up  to  o.  These  wheels  are 
placed  side  by  side  in  a  metal  case  and 
are  made  to  turn  by  the  depression  of  a 
plunger  attached  to  the  first  wheel.  After 
setting  the  first  wheel  at  figure  i  and  the 
others  at  blank,  the  plunger  is  depressed 
at  each  impression  and  turns  the  figure- 
wheel  to  bring  up  the  other  figures  in 
succession.  When  the  o  comes  up.  the 
next  wheel  is  turned  to  figure  i  and  re- 
mains at  I  till  the  first  wheel  has  again 
turned  round  to  o,  when  2  appears  on 
the  second  wheel.  This  operation  may  be 
repeated  up  to  the  capacity  of  the  ma- 
chine, or  99  on  a  two-wheel,  and  999999 
on  a  six-wheel  machine.  Typographic 
numbering  machines  may  be  locked  up 
in  the  chase  beside  the  form  of  the  ticket 
which  they  are  to  number,  and  printing 
and  numbering  done  at  one  operation. 
Hand  numbering  machines  are  used  on 
desk  or  table.  The  printing  is  done  by  a 
downward  pressure  of  the  handle  and  a 
spring  automatically  moves  it  back,  thi> 
motion  giving  the  wheels  the  necessarx 
turn  to  bring  the  next  number  into  place. 

Nuvierals  —  The  Arabic  and  Roman  char- 
acters used  to  express  numbers  :  12345 
67890,  and  I  V  XLC  I)  M.  or  ivxlcdm. 


of  Technical  Terms        165 

Obelisk — Another  name  for  the  dagger 
[t]  one  of  the  old-style  reference  marks. 

Oblong  Page  —  One  that  is  wider  than  its 
height ;  the  reverse  of  an  upright  or  more 
common  style  of  page. 

Octavo  —  When  a  sheet  of  book  paper  about 
the  size  of  19  x  24  inches  is  folded  in  two 
leaves  it  is  called  2.  folio ;  when  folded  in 
four  leaves,  a  quarto  or  4to ;  folded  in 
eight  leaves,  an  octavo  or  8vo ;  in  twelve 
leaves,  a  duodecimo  or  12  mo,  and  so  on. 
Smaller  folds  are  i6mo,  24mo,  etc. 

Octodecimo  —  A  sheet  folded  into  eighteen 
leaves;  more  commonly  i8mo. 

Odd  Folios  —  The  page-numbers  which  come 
on  the  first  side  oCthe  leaf,  i,  3,  5,  7,  9, 
etc.  The  even  folios  are  on  the  second 
side  or  back  of  the  leaf,  2,  4,  6,  etc. 

Off —  A  form  is  off  when  all  the  sheets  re- 
quired have  been  printed  and  it  is  ready 
to  be  taken  ofif  the  press. 

Office — The  room  or  place  where  printers 
work ;  generally  understood  to  mean  the 
entire  establishment,  with  machinery  and 
other  materials,  as  well  as  the  counting 
room.  In  America  this  term  has  been 
used  almost  exclusively  in  relation  to  the 
place  where  printing  is  done,  although  the 
term  printing-house  or  shop  is  now  often 
used,  and  certain  so-called  up-to-date 
smart  persons  dub  the  place  a  printery. 


i66    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Off-cut — The  smaller  part  of  a  printed 
sheet  imposed  in  such  a  manner  that  the 
sheet  must  be  cut  before  folding,  as  in  a 
twelve-page  sheet,  which  may  be  divided 
into  a  four-page  and  an  eight-page  sheet 
for  folding,  and  then  one  set  into  the 
other  to  make  the  twelve -page  signature. 

Office  Corrections — Proof-reader's  or  author's 
changes  ordered  after  type  has  been  set 
according  to  copy  and  for  which  the  com- 
positor is  not  responsible  ;  in  piece-work 
such  corrections  are  charged  extra. 

Off  Its  Feet — When  type  does  not  stand 
squarely  on  its  base.  Type  must  stand 
exactly  on  its  feet  in  order  to  give  a  good 
impression. 

Off-set  or  Set-off— '^\\^\\  the  face  of  a  freshly- 
printed  sheet  rubs  and  smuts  the  sheet  on 
top  of  it.  The  squeezing  together  of  a 
number  of  sheets,  as  when  cutting  under 
the  clamp  of  a  paper-cutter,  will  set-off 
onto  the  facing  page  ink  that  is  not  thor- 
oughly dr)'. 

O.  K.  Proof —  Mark  of  approval  on  proof. 

O.  K.  ivith  changes  (or  corrections) — Mark  of 
approval  on  proof,  with  minor  changes. 

Olii  English  —  The  name  given  to  a  style  of 
black-letter  or  text  made  in  many  varieties. 
ODlb  Eugliall.  Mr.  DeVinne.  in  "  Plain 
Printing  Types,"  says  of  it :  "  The  style  of 
black-letter    most    approved    by    Knglish 


1 


of  Technical  Terms 


^ 


readers  is  the  pointed  form,  which  Blades 
says  is  modeled  on  the  lower-case  letters 
of  the  Bible  of  Forty-two  Lines.  Although 
it  has  been  supplanted  as  a  text-letter  by 
the  roman,  it  is  so  identified  with  early 
English  printing  that  it  fairly  deserves  its 
generally  accepted  name  of  Old  English." 

Old-Style — Old-style  and  modern  are  the  two 
general  classes  into  which  roman  type- 
faces are  divided  ;  numberless  varieties  of 
both  styles  are  made,  and  many  of  them 
are  often  difficult  to  place  in  one  class  or 
the  other.  In  general  the  true  old-style 
in  use  today  may  be  said  to  follow  closely 
that  of  the  Caslon  form.  The  type  in 
which  this  dictionary  is  set  is  a  modern- 
ized old-style.  Another  form  of  old-style 
is  known  as  French  Old-style  or  Elzevir, 
(French  Oldstyle),  which  has  been  much 
used  in  this  country,  although  not  now  so 
popular  as  it  was  fifteen  years  ago.  See 
Modern. 

Open  Matter —  Matter  widely  leaded  or  con- 
taining many  short  lines  ;  in  piece-work 
called /«7/'. 

Open  Spacing — Wide  spacing,  as  in  matter 
that  is  widely  leaded. 

Opisthographic  —  h.  pedantic  term  for  print- 
ing or  writing  on  both  sides  of  a  leaf. 

Oriental  Type  —  That  used  for  the  Eastern 
languages,  Hebrew,  Syriac,  Arabic,  etc. 


1 68    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Original —  The  first  engraving  or  plate,  as 
distinguished  from  an  electro  or  other 
duplicate. 

Ornament — A  floret  or  small  decoration 
cast  in  type. 

Ornamental  Brass  Daslies  [ ^TT* ] 

These  were  more  commonly  used  twenty 
years  ago  than  now.  The  t\-pe-foundry 
specimen  books  show  a  great  variety  of 
patterns. 

Orthography  —  The  art  or  proper  mode  of 
spelling  words ;  spelling. 

Ounce  Mark  [5] — The  sign  for  ounce  in 
apothecary's  weight. 

Out —  An  omission  of  words. 

Outer  Form  —  The  form  which  contains  the 
first  and  last  or  outside  pages  of  a  signa- 
ture when  the  work  is  done  sheetwise. 
On  a  sheet  of  eight  pages  printed  in  two 
forms,  pages  i,  4,  5,  8  is  the  outer  form  ; 
pages  2,  3,  6,  7  is  the  inside  form. 

Outlined — Said  of  a  halftone  engraving  with 
the  background  screen  cut  away  entirely, 
leaving  only  the  objects  of  the  picture. 
A  vignetted  halftone  has  the  background 
shaded  off  gradually. 

Outline  letters .  Outline  Figures — Types  which 
print  the  outlines  of  the  character,  in  dis- 
tinction from  those  which  print  the  full 
color.  Several  faces  are  now  made  in  out- 
line as  well  as  solid. 


of  Technical  Terms        169 

Out  of  Condition  —  Said  of  printing  rollers 
when  they  are  too  soft  or  too  hard  for 
proper  working. 

Out  of  His  Time  —  When  an  apprentice  has 
completed  his  term  of  apprenticeship. 

Out  of  Letter  —  Out  of  type  ;  when  the  case 
is  short  of  letters  or  sorts  needed. 

Out  of  Register  —  When  the  pages  on  both 
sides  of  a  sheet  do  not  back  each  other 
accurately  the  sheet  is  out  of  register;  or 
when  the  two  or  more  colors  of  a  job  do 
not  strike  in  proper  relation  to  each  other 
the  job  is  out  of  register. 

Out  of  Sorts  —  When  any  needed  letter  or 
other  character  has  been  all  set  from  the 
case,  the  compositor  is  out  of  sorts.  See 
Empty  Case. 

Out  of  Use —  Type  or  other  material  that  is 
kept  standing  and  not  used  for  a  long  time. 

Out  Page  —  The  first  page  of  a  sheet ;  it 
usually  has  the  signature  mark  at  its  foot. 

Out-See  Copy  —  Marked  on  the  margin  of  a 
proof  to  signify  that  the  compositor  has         1 
omitted  something  and  directing  him  to      v, 
refer  to  copy. 

Ovals  —  Brass  rule  forms  of  oval  shape,  for 
labels,  etc.  They  are  made  by  type  found- 
ries in  several  styles  of  face,  and  are 
troublesome  things  for  the  compositor 
when  he  must  justify  a  lot  of  small  type 
inside  of  them. 


lyo    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Outside  Sheets  —  The  top  and  bottom  sheets 
of  a  ream  or  bundle  of  paper,  usually  dam- 
aged and  not  included  in  the  count. 

Overlay  —  A  piece  of  paper  put  on  the  tym- 
pan  to  give  more  impression  to  a  letter, 
line,  or  part  of  an  engraving.  Overlays 
for  halftone  engravings  are  now  made  of 
metal,  as  well  as  of  a  sort  of  rubber  paste 
applied  to  the  tympan  with  a  brush,  etc. 
The  metallic  overlay  consists  of  a  thin 
sheet  of  zinc  upon  which  an  inked  impres- 
sion of  the  engraving  has  been  made. 
After  this  impression  has  been  "fixed"  by 
chemicals  and  heat,  the  zinc  is  immersed 
in  acid  and  etched  —  the  light  parts  are 
eaten  away  and  tli€  dark  parts  remain. 
This  zinc  sheet  is  then  fastened  in  place  on 
the  tympan  and  a  top  sheet  drawn  over. 

Overlay  Knife —  A  small,  fiat  piece  of  steel, 
about  six  inches  long,  with  one  end  finely 
sharpened,  especially  adapted  for  cutting 
out  paper  overlays  ;  pressman's  knife. 

Over-ruiming — Taking  words  backward  or 
forward  from  one  line  to  another,  in  cor- 
recting. 

Overtime — Work  done  after  the  regular  work- 
ing hours,  which  is  usually  paid  for  at 
increased  prices. 

Own  Paper  —  See  Its  Own  Stock. 

Oxford  Corners — Border  rules  crossing 
and  projecting  at  the  corners,  as  on 
title-pages  or  cards. 


4 

I 


^  of  Technical  Terms        171 

jP.4CAVA'G—The  material  used  for  tym- 
pans,  applied  more  particularly  to  the  cov- 
erings around  printing  cylinders. 

J'ad —  A  number  of  small  sheets  of  one  size 
glued  on  one  or  more  edges  ;  a  convenient 
form  for  single  sheets  of  stationery,  memo, 
blanks,  etc.,  as  they  can  be  held  together 
until  used  one  by  one.  Padding  is  done 
by  carefully  jogging  the  sheets  until  the 
edge  of  the  pile  is  smooth,  then  with  a 
brush  covering  the  edges  with  a  specially 
prepared  elastic  glue. 

I'age — One  side  of  a  leaf  of  a  book  or  news- 
paper ;  a  page  of  type  is  a  composed  form 
that  would  be  printed  with  margins  on  all 
sides. 

I'age  Cord —  The  twine  used  to  tie  up  pages 
of  type. 

Page  Gauge  —  A  measure  to  determine  the 
length  of  the  pages  of  a  work  ;  commonly 
a  piece  of  reglet  or  brass  rule  notched  to 
show  the  proper  length  and  used  by  the 
make-up  hand  to  keep  pages  of  a  book  of 
uniform  length. 

Page  Papers — Sheets  of  heavy  paper  or  card 
upon  w^hich  tied-up  pages  are  placed  for 
storage,  instead  of  keeping  them  on  gal- 
leys ;  also  called  page  shoes. 

Pagifiation  —  The  numbering  of  pages  of  a 
book,  etc. 

Paging  Ink — A  special  ink  for  use  on  paging 
machines. 


172    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Pagiiig  ATachine  —  An  automatic  numbering 
machine  for  consecutively  numbering  the 
pages  of  blank  books,  etc.  See  Number- 
ing Machines. 

Palimpsest — A  bibliographer's  term  to  de- 
note a  parchment  or  other  sheet  which  has 
been  written  upon  twice,  the  first  writing 
having  been  wholly  or  partly  erased  to 
make  room  for  the  second.  Manuscripts 
of  classical  writers  were  often  treated  in 
this  manner  during  the  Middle  Ages,  and 
the  original  writing  on  some  of  these  has 
since  been  restored  by  washing  oft"  the 
second  writing  and  freshening  up  the  first 
by  chemical  and  other  treatment. 

Pallet  Kiiife — A  small  ink  knife,  or  one  used 
for  similar  purposes. 

Pamp/ilet — One  or  more  printed  sheets 
stitched  together  but  not  bound  like  a 
book. 

Panel — Any  square  or  rectangular  design 
enclosed  Ijy  four  rules  or  borders. 

Pantograph  —  An  instrument  for  mechan- 
ically copying,  tracing,  or  cutting  a  design 
in  duplicate,  either  in  the  same  size,  or 
smaller  or  larger.  It  consists  usually  of 
four  rods  or  arms  held  together  by  adjust- 
able pins.  Two  points  of  this  frame  move 
in  unison  if  a  third  pomt  is  held  station 
ary,  and  if  one  of  these  two  points  is  moved 
over  the  pattern  a  pen  or  cutting  tool  will 
reproduce  the  design  at  the  other  point. 


of  Technical  Terms       173 

Paper — The  thin  sheets  of  material  upon 
which  nearly  all  printing  is  done.  Paper 
may  be  made  from  all  varieties  of  vege- 
table fibres,  those  most  commonly  used 
being  linen  and  cotton  rags,  hemp,  jute, 
esparto,  straw,  and  wood.  The  raw  mate- 
rial necessary  for  paper  is  cellulose,  the 
indestructible  walls  of  the  microscopic 
cells  of  which  all  vegetable  fibres  are 
composed.  The  quality  of  paper  is  de- 
pendent upon  the  quality  of  the  cellulose, 
and  as  cotton  comes  the  nearest  to  pure 
cellulose  it  makes  the  best  paper.  Paper 
is  made  by  grinding,  bleaching,  beating, 
and  boiling  these  fibres  until  they  are  re- 
duced to  a  fluid  pulp,  in  which  condition 
they  readily  mat  or  felt  together  when  the 
water  has  been  pressed  out.  Paper  was 
formerly  made  by  hand,  the  operation  be- 
ing to  dip  the  pulp  from  a  vat  with  a  mould 
having  a  screen  bottom ;  when  the  water 
drained  away  the  remaining  film  of  inter- 
laced fibres  were  pressed  out  and  dried. 
Some  kinds  of  writing,  drawing,  and  print- 
ing paper  are  still  made  in  this  way,  but 
the  great  bulk  of  paper  now  used  is  made 
by  machinery.  Paper  is  made  in  a  great 
variety  of  qualities,  from  heavy  drawing 
board  to  the  thinnest  tissue,  and  in  every 
color  and  shade.  The  more  common  kinds 
have  the  surface  finished  in  various  styles. 
Antique  finish  is  really  an  unfinished  sur- 
face, the  paper  being  left  rough  by  very 


174    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

slight  pressure  of  the  machine  rollers  ; 
machine  finish  is  the  surface  imparted  as 
it  passes  once  through  the  ordinary  ma- 
chine rollers  ;  calendered  paper  is  passed 
through  a  set  of  extra  rollers,  called  cal- 
enders, which  subject  it  to  a  heavy  press- 
ure, the  degree  of  polish  being  governed 
by  the  number  of  rollers  and  amount  of 
pressure;  coated  paper  is  a  machine  fin- 
ished paper  that  is  coated  with  fine  clay 
and  glue  and  polished  in  a  stack  of  fric- 
tion calenders  ;  linen  finish,  pebble  finish, 
and  various  other  surfaces  are  given  by 
running  the  sheet  between  rollers  which 
have  their  surfaces  prepared  to  give  the 
desired  impression.  For  some  purposes, 
like  newspaper  printing,  paper  is  finished 
in  a  continuous  web  of  great  length  in 
rolls,  the  printing  being  done  from  the 
uncut  web  and  the  sheets  immediately  cut 
off  in  another  part  of  the  machine.  Paper 
is,  however,  commonly  handled  in  sheets, 
the  size  of  the  sheets  varying  somewhat 
according  to  the  fashion  or  special  use  to 
which  it  is  put.  See  Dcckk-edge,  Laid  Paper, 
M.  F.,  Wove  Paper,  and  other  headings. 
Paper  Cutter — A  machine  for  cutting  and 
trimming  paper.  It  is  a  necessary  article 
in  every  printing  office  and  bindery,  and 
is  made  in  many  styles  and  sizes.  Small 
paper  cutters  are  made  to  set  on  a  bench, 
and  the  knife  is  operated  by  means  of  a 
hand  lever  ;  large  ones  stand  on  their  own 


\ 


of  Technical  Terms         175 

frames  on  the  floor,  and  may  be  operated 
by  a  hand-lever  or  by  power  Hke  other 
machines.  In  addition  to  the  knife,  which 
is  moveable  up  and  down  in  its  frame, 
the  machine  must  have  a  clamp  to  hold 
the  pile  of  paper  firmly  while  being  cut. 
Another  convenience  is  a  moveable  guage 
on  the  table,  so  that  any  required  size 
may  be  cut  and  any  number  of  piles  made 
of  one  size.  Paper  to  be  cut  should  be 
jogged  up  evenly  and  the  top  sheet  of  the 
pile  carefully  marked  where  the  cut  is  to 
be  made.  It  is  always  well  to  take  extra 
care  in  this  matter,  as  mistakes  in  cutting 
paper  are  costly.  When  cutting  expensive 
paper,  have  a  waste  sheet  on  the  top  and 
bottom  of  each  pile,  to  save  good  sheets 
from  spoilage. 

Paper  Knife  —  A  small  implement  for  open- 
ing letters  and  cutting  the  bolts  or  folded 
edges  of  untrimmed  magazines  and  pam- 
phlets. A  steel  or  bone  folder,  or  even  a 
piece  of  thin  reglet  with  its  edges  tapered 
off,  is  oftener  used  by  printers  for  these 
purposes,  a  paper  knife  being  a  desk  con- 
venience. 

Paper  Sizes — The  sizes  of  printing  papers 
range  from  14  x  17  inches  to  38  x  52  in- 
ches, and  it  is  always  safer  to  specify  the 
size  of  a  sheet  in  inches,  rather  than  to 
depend  upon  the  old-time  arbitrary  names. 
X  38  is  now  the  most  common 


176  The  Printer's  Dictionary 

one  for  book  papers  ;  28  x  44,  and  32  x  44 
also  are  sizes  in  which  papers  are  to  be 
had  in  greatest  variety.  From  the  last  two, 
by  cutting  in  halves,  are  obtained  two 
sizes  (22x28  and  22x32)  which  were 
once  common,  but  which  are  now  rarely 
carried  in  stock  by  paper  houses.  Other 
sizes  of  book  papers  not  so  common  are 
26  x  40  and  28  x  42.  Flat  writing  papers 
come  in  a  greater  variety  of  sizes  and  the 
trade  names  are  still  more  or  less  in  vogue. 

SIZES    OF    FLAT    WRITING    PAPERS 

Cap 14  X  17 

Demy 16x21 

Folio 17  X  22 

Double  Folio 22  x  34 

Double  Cap 17  x  28 

Royal 19  X  24 

Cardboard 22  x  28 

Cap  is  now  rarely  obtainable,  double  cap  ( 1 7  x  28) 
having  taken  its  place.  The  following  sizes  are 
of  ledger  papers,  usually  of  best  grades  only  : 

Crown 15x19 

Super  Royal 20  x  28 

Double  Demy,  long    .     .     .     .  16x42 

Double  Demy,  broad      .     .     .  21  x  32 

Medium iS  x  23 

Imperial 23  x  31 

Double  Medium,  long     .     .     .  iS  x  46 

Double  Medium,  broad  .     .     .  23  x  36 

Double  Royal 24  x  38 

Double  Elephant 27  x  40 

*  Elephant 23  x  28 

*  Columbier 23  x  34 

*  Atlas 26  X  33 

*  Antiquarian 3'  ^  53 

♦Emperor 48  x  72 

Last  five  are  liigh  grade  ledger  sizes  and  not  often  called  for. 


of  Technical  Terms        177 

Paper  Up — To  wrap  type  or  sorts  in  paper, 
as  of  matter  that  is  to  be  put  away  for 
future  use. 

Papcteric — A  box  of  paper  with  envelopes  to 
match,  etc.,  such  as  is  sold  by  paper 
houses  and  stationers. 

Papier  Mache —  Mashed  paper  ;  a  hard  sub- 
stance made  from  paper  pulp  mixed  with 
size  or  glue  and  may  be  formed,  while  soft, 
into  any  desired  shape.  The  papier  mache 
method  of  stereotyping  uses  a  matrix  made 
up  of  sheets  of  blotting  and  tissue  paper 
pasted  together  with  a  mineral  paste. 

Papyrus — A  kind  of  plant  formerly  cultivated 
in  Egypt  and  used  for  making  paper.  It 
does  not  now  exist  there,  but  is  found  in 
some  other  places.  It  was  grown  on  the 
delta  of  the  Nile  and  was  used  for  other 
purposes  beside  paper-making,  although 
this  was  its  chief  use.  It  is  said  to  have 
grown  to  a  height  of  ten  or  twelve  feet, 
and  stood  partly  in  the  water  like  a  bul- 
rush The  parts  used  for  paper  were  the 
thin  layers  between  the  outer  bark  and 
the  inner  pith.  These  layers  were  laid 
side  by  side  and  other  layers  place  cross- 
ways,  the  mass  being  then  beaten  together 
and  held  by  a  fine  glue  or  paste.  Papyrus 
was  made  in  sheets  of  different  sizes,  al- 
though much  smaller  than  we  are  used  to 
in  modern  paper,  and  the  quality  also  dif- 
fered greatly.    Sheets  and  rolls  of  papyrus 


lyS  The  Printer's  Dictionary 

manuscript  many  centuries  old  are  found 
with  mummies  and  in  other  places,  and 
have  preserved  to  the  modern  world  valu- 
able records  of  ancient  Egyptian  histor)-. 

Paragon — An  old-style  size  of  type  equiva- 
lent to  two-line  long  primer;  or  what  would 
be  2o-point  in  the  point  system. 

Paragraph — One  or  more  lines  of  a  compo- 
sition placed  together,  usually  distin- 
guished or  separated  from  other  matter 
by  the  indention  of  the  first  line  and  a 
break  in  the  last  line.  The  paragraphing 
of  a  composition  is  commonly  the  author's 
duty,  and  no  rules  can  be  given  the  com- 
positor except  to  "follow  copy"  where 
that  is  clear.  The  general  custom  is  to 
make  a  new  paragraph  when  there  is 
some  change  in  the  subject  or  in  the  se- 
quence of  thought.  A  paragraph  may  con- 
sist of  one  short  sentence,  or  it  may  include 
a  number  of  long  sentences.  The  modern 
practice  is  to  make  paragraphs  freely,  as 
tending  to  make  the  composition  easier 
to  read.  The  usual  indention  is  an  em 
quad  at  the  beginning  of  matter  set  in 
narrow  or  medium  measures  ;  when  the 
lines  are  long  the  indention  is  increased 
to  two  ems ;  even  three  or  four  ems  may 
be  used  in  very  wide  columns  of  small 
type.  As  a  rule,  wide-leaded  and  wide- 
spaced  lines  will  need  more  indention  than 
close-spaced,  solid  matter.  The  indention 


^  of  Technical  Terms         179 

should  be  enough  to  indicate  the  para- 
graph clearly,  but  not  so  much  as  to  make 
distinction  unduly  conspicuous.  When  the 
paragraph  indention  is  wide,  the  last  line 
of  the  preceding  paragraph  should  have 
more  than  a  short  word  or  syllable  in  it, 
otherwise  the  extra  wide  break  in  the 
matter  will  be  a  blemish  on  the  page. 

Paragraph  Mark — The  most  common  form 
is  this  ^,  which  is  really  the  letter  P  re- 
versed, with  the  white  part  black  and  the 
black  part  white  for  distinctiveness.  Para- 
graph marks  for  use  with  black-letter  or 
Old  English  are  of  this  style  41.  and  some 
variations.  Typefounders  have  in  recent 
years  made  several  styles  of  paragraph 
marks,  and  they  have  become  common  in 
miscellaneous  work. 

Parallel  Mark — One  of  the  old-style  refer- 
ence marks  ||. 

Parchment — A  paper-like  sheet  made  from 
the  skins  of  young  animals,  like  the  sheep, 
goat,  etc.  Paper  parchment,  or  vegetable 
parchment,  is  made  by  chemically  treating 
ordinary  paper.     See  Vellum. 

Parenthesis  {■p[urz\ parentheses) — The  upright 
curved  stroke  used  in  pairs  to  enclose 
words,  figures,  or  other  matter  in  the  body 
of  a  sentence  ;  also,  matter  thus  enclosed. 
The  use  of  other  punctuation  marks  in 
conjunction  with  the  parenthesis  is  a  puz- 
zling question  to  many  compositors,  owing 


i8o    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

to  arbitrary  rules  and  whimsical  practices 
of  writers  and  proofreaders.  The  safe  rule 
is  to  use  punctuation  marks  as  if  there 
were  no  parentheses,  omitting  points  be- 
tween the  parenthetical  matter  and  the 
word  or  clause  to  which  it  belongs  ;  if  this 
word  or  clause  is  followed  by  a  point,  then 
the  point  should  be  after  the  parenthesis. 
It  was  less  than  half  (46,  to  be  exact)  last  year. 
In  that  year  (1898),  because  of  dispute,  he  left. 
The  door  was  open  ;  he  (the  witness)  saw  no  coat. 
The  Salem  (Mass.)  Gazette  was  established  1790. 
Col.  Humphrey  (aid  to  Washington),  Gen.  Eaton. 

Partly  Printed  Newspapers — See  Patent  Out- 
side, Ready  Print. 

Passing  the  Galley — An  old-time  practice  in 
composition,  when  each  compositor,  as  he 
completed  setting  and  correcting  his  take, 
made  up  the  matter  into  pages  and  then 
passed  any  left-over  lines,  with  heading 
and  page-number,  to  the  person  having 
the  ne.xt  take ;  in  this  manner  each  com- 
positor in  turn  completed  his  part  and  laid 
the  pages  in  order  on  the  imposing  stone 
for  locking  up.  Nowadays  making-up  is 
usually  done  by  another  hand  beside  the 
person  who  set  the  type  :  in  book  and 
newspaper  rooms  this  part  of  the  work  is 
specialized.  In  newspaper  offices,  where 
a  number  of  compositors  have  set  type  on 
one  galley,  each  with  this  number  or  slug 
at  the  top  of  the  lines  he  set,  the  galley  is 
passed  from  one  to  the  other  in  turn  for 


of  Technical  Terms         iSi 

corrections  when  proof  is  returned.  In 
this  matter  the  practice  is  for  the  compos- 
itor whose  take  is  at  the  top  of  the  galley 
to  correct  his  errors  and  if  the  next  take 
has  three  or  more  errors,  to  pass  the 
galley  to  the  next ;  if,  however,  the  follow- 
ing take  has  only  one  or  two  minor  errors, 
he  is  expected  to  correct  them  also  and 
pass  the  galley  to  the  compositor  whose 
take  shows  three  or  more  errors.  The  rule 
varies  somewhat  in  different  places  regard- 
ing the  number  and  kind  of  errors  which 
will  pass  a  galley,  but  the  custom  favors 
a  compositor  who  sets  a  clean  proof. 

Passing  the  Make-up  —  Same  as  passing  the 
galley  in  book  work. 

Pasteboard— T\{\Qk,  stiff  card  made  by  past- 
ing two  or  more  sheets  together. 

Pasters — Small  handbills,  slips  or  notices 
pasted  on  fences  and  walls,  or  on  large 
prints,  lithographs,  etc. 

Patch  Up  —  In  making  ready  on  press,  to 
paste  pieces  on  the  tympan  sheet  to  bring 
up  the  impression  stronger  in  spots ;  usu- 
ally the  final  touches  in  making  ready 
with  overlays. 

Patent  Space — Type  spaces  of  the  thickness 
of  two  five-to-em  spaces  ;  thicker  than  the 
three-to-em  and  thinner  than  the  en-quad. 
This  space  is  common  in  12 -point  and 
larger  sizes,  but  the  name  is  not  now 
often  employed. 


i82   The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Patent  Outside — Said  of  a  newspaper  or 
other  publication  having  one  side  printed 
at  a  city  establishment  making  such  work 
a  specialty,  while  the  other  side,  usually 
containing  local  news,  etc.,  is  printed  in 
the  home  town.  This  arrangement  is  an 
economical  one  for  the  publisher  in  a  small 
place,  as  he  can  purchase  partly-printed 
sheets,  with  stories,  household  recipes, 
and  miscellaneous  matter,  at  a  price  a 
little  in  advance  of  the  white  paper,  thus 
saving  the  expense  of  setting  up  and  print- 
ing one-half  of  his  sheet.  Newspapers  of 
this  class  are  known  as  "  patent  "  out- 
sides  or  insides  according  to  whether  the 
part  supplied  is  the  outside  or  inside  of 
the  completed  sheet.  The  economy  in 
producing  a  "  patent  "  sheet  comes  from 
utilizing  the  same  matter  for  many  news- 
papers issued  in  different  places,  the 
change  of  headings,  date,  etc.,  being  all 
that  is  required  to  print  each  paper  after 
the  pages  are  once  set.  The  patent  outside 
is  not  now  so  common  as  it  was  twenty- 
five  years  ago,  publishers  having  a  natural 
pride  in  producing  a  "  home  print  "  paper 
whenever  possible  ;  the  greatly  increased 
facilities  now  within  reach  of  the  "country'" 
printer,  with  cheap  machine  composition, 
as  well  as  the  more  convenient  ready-set 
stereot}pe  plates  that  are  now  furnished 
daily  by  central  ofiices  in  large  cities,  all 
have  tended  to  make  the  "patent  outside" 
an  antiquated  method  of  publishing.  Also 
called  ready  print. 


of  Technical  Terms     *   1S3 

Pearl — A  size  of  type  in  the  old-style  bodies 
approximating  5-point  in  the  point  system. 
It  is  the  smallest  size  of  type  in  common 
use  ;  several  smaller  sizes  are  made  (dia- 
mond, brilliant)  but  they  are  only  practi- 
cal for  occasional  service,  on  account  of 
the  cost  of  making  and  handling  and  their 
fragile  nature. 

Pebble  Finish  —  One  of  the  many  novel  sur- 
faces given  to  paper  nowadays.  Like  some 
other  finishes,  grained,  linen,  crimped,  etc., 
it  is  produced  by  passing  the  sheets  with 
strong  pressure  between  steel  rollers  hav- 
ing a  surface  of  the  desired  pattern.  Half- 
tone engravings  are  sometimes  printed  on 
highly  polished  coated  paper,  to  get  a 
clear,  sharp  impression  of  the  delicate 
parts,  and  when  thoroughly  dry  the  sheets 
are  run  through  a  pebbling  machine  to  get 
rid  of  the  shiny  surface  and  give  softened 
photographic  effects. 

Perforating  Machities — Are  special  machines 
used  in  binderies  and  other  places.  They 
consist  of  blades  of  large  or  small  needles 
held  in  such  a  manner  that  they  may  be 
punched  through  a  sheet  placed  on  a  table 
below.  Another  style  of  perforating  ma- 
chine is  a  small  wheel  having  on  its  peri- 
phery a  series  of  small  pins;  this  is  adjusted 
on  a  table  and,  while  revolving,  the  sheet 
passes  under  the  pin  points  and  is  marked 
by  a  line  of  small  holes. 


184  The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Perforatijjg Rule — Sharp,  dotted  rule  slightly 
higher  than  type ;  it  is  placed  in  a  form 
and  perforates  lines  in  a  sheet  to  permit 
easy  tearing  off  where  desired,  as  in  check- 
books, coupon  books,  etc.  The  printing 
of  perforating  rules  with  the  type  form  is 
done  only  on  cheap  grades  of  work,  as  it 
saves  an  extra  operation,  and  the  rule, 
being  inked  with  the  rest  of  the  form, 
leaves  a  black,  unsightly  mark  on  the 
sheet.  There  is  also  the  liability  of  spoil- 
ing the  inking  rollers  with  this  sharp,  high 
face.  A  more  satisfactory  way  is,  after 
the  printing  is  done,  to  take  the  rollers 
off  the  press,  lock  up  the  perforating  rules 
by  themselves  in  a  chase,  set  gauges  in 
proper  position,  and  run  the  sheets  through 
just  for  the  perforating.  Several  mechanical 
appliances  have  been  invented  for  perfor- 
ating sheets  while  printing,  to  do  away 
with  the  disadvantages  of  the  rules.  One 
consists  of  an  arrangement  whereby  the 
perforating  face  drops  down  below  the  face 
of  the  type  while  the  ink  rollers  are  pass- 
ing over,  thus  taking  no  ink,  and  when 
the  printing  impression  is  applied  the  per- 
forating line  rises  in  its  place  and  remains 
there  to  mark  the  sheet.  Another  style 
for  job  presses,  is  attached  to  the  lower 
part  of  the  platen  like  a  gripper,  and  when 
placed  in  position  to  come  between  type 
lines  of  the  form,  is  forced  into  the  sheet 
while  the  printing  impression  is  made. 


m  of  Technical  Terms        185 

Fasted  Bristol— h.  high  grade  cardboard 
made  by  pasting  together  two  or  more 
sheets  of  paper. 

Patent  Block — A  trade  term  for  several  kinds 
of  wood  and  metal  bases  upon  which  elec- 
tros or  engraved  plates  are  mounted.  For 
use  on  a  press  they  are  of  a  height  to  bring 
the  face  of  the  plate  level  with  the  type 
face,  and  each  block  has  clamps  or  catches 
on  the  sides  to  hold  the  plate  securely. 
There  are  now  several  styles  of  metal 
bases,  of  variable  sizes  and  constructed  on 
a  unit  system  ;  after  assembling  a  number 
of  units  to  make  the  desired  size,  the  plate 
is  fastened  on  top  and  the  whole  bound 
together  by  screw  clamps.  See  Sectional 
Blocks. 

Perfecting — The  printing  of  the  second  side 
of  a  sheet ;  the  re-iteration.  A  perfecting 
press  is  a  machine  which  points  both  sides 
of  the  sheet  before  it  is  delivered. 

Perforating  —  To  punch  lines  of  small  holes 
or  slits  in  a  sheet  so  that  it  may  afterward 
be  torn  off  with  ease.  Scoring  is  merely 
to  crease  a  sheet  so  that  it  will  bend  or 
fold  at  a  given  place. 

Period  [.]  —  A  mark  of  punctuation. 

Periodical —  A  publication  which  appears  at 
regular  periods  of  time ;  the  term  is  com- 
monly applied  to  magazines,  reviews,  an- 
nuals, and  publications  issued  monthly  or 
less  often,  rather  than  to  newspapers. 


i86  The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Permanent  Inks  {or  Colors)  —  Those  which 
do  not  readily  fade  or  change  when  ex- 
posed to  light. 

Per  Mark  [  ^  ]  —  A  commercial  sign,  used 
in  market  reports,  etc. 

Phonography— '^x\\\x\g  by  sound ;  shorthand. 

Phonotypy — Printing  with  characters  repre- 
senting the  sounds  of  the  voice,  the  idea 
being  to  use  for  each  elementar}-  sound  a 
special  letter  which  represents  that  sound 
and  nothing  else ;  phonetic  printing.  There 
have  been  many  schemes  and  special  char- 
acters devised  from  time  to  time,  but  none 
have  been  employed  to  any  extent. 

Photo-aquatint — An  engraving  made  by  the 
photo-chemical  process,  the  result  being 
an  intaglio  copperplate  from  which  im- 
pressions similar  to  photo-gravures  may  be 
made ;  a  print  made  by  this  method. 

Photo-chronw — A  colored  picture  produced 
by  plates  engraved  by  photo-mechanical 
means.    See  Three-color  Process. 

Photo-engraving — The  process  of  making,  by 
means  of  the  chemical  action  of  light 
upon  a  film,  engraved  plates  or  blocks  for 
printing.  The  term  may  be  meant  for  in- 
taglio as  well  as  relief  work,  but  it  is  in 
this  countr}'  usually  applied  to  relief  plates 
such  as  halftones,  metzographs,  and  zinc 
etchings.  The  intaglio  plate  is  more  com- 
monly known  as  photo-gravure,  photo- 
aquatint,  etc. 


of  Technical  Terms       i8 


Photo-gravure — A  print  and  also  the  process 
of  making  a  print  from  an  intaglio  engrav- 
ing. There  are  numerous  variations  in  the 
process  as  carried  on  by  different  opera- 
tors, but  the  general  method  is  by  chem- 
ically treating  a  gelatine,  albumen,  or  as- 
phaltum  film  on  a  metal  plate  ;  this  is  next 
printed  with  a  photographic  positive,  the 
action  of  the  light  making  a  relief  copy  of 
the  original  on  the  film.  The  other  portions 
are  then  washed  away  and  the  plate  etched 
with  acid.  There  are  no  sharp,  incised 
lines,  but  minute  depressions ;  the  deep 
parts  into  which  ink  is  deposited,  making 
the  shadows,  and  the  shallower  parts,  hold- 
ing very  little  ink,  producing  the  lighter 
tones  of  the  picture.  Impressions  are  made 
in  the  same  manner  as  from  steel  and 
copperplate  engravings,  the  work  being 
slow  and  expensive,  so  that  printing  done 
by  this  method  is  limited  to  art  subjects, 
portraits,  and  fine  book  illustrations.  Va- 
rieties of  photo-gravures  are  known  as 
Albertypes,  Woodburt}'pes,  artot}'pes,  col- 
lotypes, heliotypes,  etc. 

Photo-lithography — When  the  design  is  put 
on  the  lithographic  stone  by  photography 
instead  of  being  drawn  on  by  hand  or 
mechanically.     See  Lithography. 

Photo-mechanical — Pertaining  to  printing  sur- 
faces made  by  photographic  and  mechan- 
ical means  ;  photo-engraving  ;  phototype. 


i88   The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Photo-zincography — The  process  of  making  a 
relief  engraving  on  a  zinc  plate,  somewhat 
in  the  same  manner  as  photo-lithography  : 
a  photo-etching  on  zinc. 

Pick  — A  spot  made  by  filling  in  the  hollow- 
parts  or  counters  of  type  or  plates. 

Pick  for  Sorts — When  the  case  is  empty,  to 
take  letters  from  standing  matter,  whether 
live  or  not,  to  use  for  the  job  in  hand  ;  a 
common  practice,  and  sometimes  neces- 
sary, but  mostly  due  to  bad  management 
of  the  composing  room  in  not  keeping 
dead  matter  promptly  distributed. 

Pick-up — When  a  line,  heading,  or  other  mat- 
ter can  be  taken  out  of  a  dead  form  and 
used  over  again,  it  is  a  pick-up. 

Pickle — A  weak  acid  used  to  clean  out  old 
electros,  engravings,  etc. 

Pi — Type  mixed  and  in  confusion.  A  squabble 
is  when  a  page  or  paragraph  has  been 
twisted  out  of  shape. 

Pica — A  size  of  type  equal  to  12-point.  It  is 
the  standard  of  measurement  for  leads, 
rules,  furniture,  and  also  for  width  and 
length  of  pages.  Six  picas  equal,  approx- 
imately, a  linear  inch. 

Piece  PractioNS—Those  that  are  made  up  of 
two  or  more  types.  Regular  piece  fractions 
are  cast  on  bodies  half  the  size  of  the  type 
for  which  they  are  to  be  used.  See  Prac- 
lions. 


I 


of  Technical  Terms        189 


Piece-work — That  which  is  paid  for  accord- 
ing to  the  amount  of  work  performed,  as 
distinguished  from  time-work,  which  is 
paid  for  usually  by  the  hour.  Composition, 
when  paid  for  by  piece,  is  measured  by  the 
number  of  ems  set,  the  price  being  fixed 
at  so  much  per  1000  ems.  On  daily  news- 
papers and  periodicals,  and  in  many  book 
rooms,  piece-work  is  the  rule,  as  there  is 
much  work  of  a  uniform  style  and  a  fixed 
price  for  a  given  amount  of  product  may 
be  agreed  upon.  In  job  offices  and  places 
where  there  is  a  constantly  varying  run 
of  work  and  the  workmen  are  required 
to  do  many  different  things,  time-work  is 
the  most  satisfactory  basis  of  compensa- 
tion. Time-work  in  American  printing  es- 
tablishments is  now  based  on  the  hour, 
and  workmen  are  required  to  make  a  re- 
cord of  all  time  spent  on  each  job. 

Piece  Root  SigJi — See  Root  Sign. 

Pieced  Leads — When  the  required  length  of 
lead  for  a  wide  measure  is  not  at  hand, 
two  or  more  shorter  lengths  may  be  put 
together  ;  thus,  ten-em  leads  and  nineteen- 
em  leads  may  be  used  to  lead  a  twenty- 
nine-em  paragraph.  Brass  rules  are  also 
used  in  pieced  lengths. 

Pieced  Brace — Three  sections  thus  :  f ^ s 

which   may   be   extended   to   any   longer 

length  by  adding  dashes,  ^ ^ x. 

See  Braces. 


190  The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Pigeon-holed— ^'h&n  extra  wide  spacing  is  put 
between  words  and  the  white  spaces  are 
noticeable  in  a  page,  it  is  said  to  be  pigeon- 
holed ;  it  is  evidence  of  bad  workmanship. 

Pin-Mark—The  little  mark  on  the  sUe  of 
foundry-cast  type :  it  is  on  the  upper  part 
and  is  commonly  circular  in  shape,  the 
circle  often  enclosing  figures  denoting  the 
size  of  the  type  in  points.  The  American 
Type  Founders  Company  uses  a  pin-mark 
of  this  style  0,  to  mark  types  that  have 
faces  cast  on  its  point-lining  system. 

Plain  Rule — Brass  rule  with  plain,  straight 
lines,  as  distinguished  from  dotted  and 
ornamental  rule. 

Planer — The  smooth-faced  block  of  wood 
used  to  level  the  face  of  a  form. 

Planigraph — An  instrument  for  reducing  or 
enlarging  drawings. 

Planography —  This  word  is  now  used  as  a 
substitute  for  zincography  and  alumin- 
ography.  It  refers  to  methods  of  printing 
from  fiat  surfaces  other  than  stone.  Much 
printing  is  now  done  by  the  planographic 
method,  using  zinc  or  aluminum,  by  which 
the  impression  is  off-set  from  a  rubber  sur- 
face to  the  paper.  See  Rubber  Off-set  Process. 

Plant — The  fixtures,  machinery,  tools,  appa- 
ratus, etc.,  necessary  to  carry  on  any  trade 
or  mechanical  operation  or  process.  This 
term  is  now  often  applied  to  printing 
establishments. 


of  Technical  Terms       191 

Plastictype — A  halftone  engraving  of  a  clay 
modeled  design.  The  copy  for  an  engrav- 
ing of  this  style  may  be  modeled  or  carved, 
or  it  may  be  drawn  or  painted  flat  so  as  to 
give  the  effect  of  raised  lettering  or  other 
design.  An  electro  of  a  type  form  or  a  high 
relief  engraving  may  be  photographed 
and  a  similar  effect  produced. 

Plaster  Process — A  method  of  making  stereo- 
type plates  by  the  use  of  plaster.  A  mould 
of  the  t)'pe  page  is  made  by  pouring  over 
it  plaster-of-paris;  this  mould,  when  baked 
entirely  dry,  is  filled  with  fluid  t}'pe-metal. 
A  process  now  rarely  used. 

Plate — A  duplicate,  in  one  piece  of  metal,  of 
the  face  of  composed  types,  wood  cuts, 
etc.  Such  plates  are  made  by  electrotype 
or  stereotype  process.  A  piece  of  metal 
engraved  for  impression  on  paper,  etc., 
like  a  book  plate,  card  plate.  A  print 
made  from  an  engraved  plate. 

Plate  Printer— One.  who  prints  from  intaglio 
copper  or  steel  plates.  See  Copperplate 
Engraving,  etc. 

Plated  Paper — Made  of  new  and  old  cotton 
rags,  together  with  clay ;  has  good  printing 
qualities  for  copper  engravings,  etchings, 
and  photo-gravures ;  quite  permanent, 
but  not  strong.  There  is  a  great  differ- 
ence in  finish  between  two  sides  of  sheet; 
it  is  usually  unsized  and  not  adapted  for 
writing  on  with  fluid  ink. 


192   The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Plate  Matter — Reading  matter  for  newspa- 
pers and  periodicals  cast  in  stereotype 
plates  and  sold  to  be  used  by  several  pub- 
lishers in  different  places  at  practically 
the  same  time.  The  American  Press  Asso- 
ciation, which  has  branches  in  many  large 
cities,  furnishes  plate  matter  of  stories, 
household  and  fashion  notes,  anecdotes, 
etc.,  as  well  as  special  articles  on  timely 
topics  and  current  news.  This  is  in  stereo- 
type plates  for  newspaper  columns  and 
the  plates  are  made  to  fit  on  special  bases 
which  lock  up  with  regular  type  forms.  It 
is  an  economical  method  of  publishing,  as 
plates  for  different  publishers  are  made 
from  one  type-setting,  thus  making  the  cost 
of  each  plate  comparatively  small. 

Platen — The  flat  part  of  the  press  facing  the 
bed  ;  that  which  presses  the  sheet  on  the 
face  of  the  type. 

Platen  Press — That  style  of  press  which  gives 
the  impression  from  a  flat  surface  —  the 
hand  press,  Adams  press,  and  small  job 
presses;  distinctive  from  cylinder  press. 

Playing  Cards — Cards  for  games  are  one  of  the 
oldest  forms  of  printing,  and  were  printed 
from  engraved  blocks  and  probably  by 
stencilsbefore  the  invention  of  typography. 
The  manufacture  of  the  regular  "deck"  of 
playing  cards  is  one  of  the  most  highly 
specialized  lines  in  the  printing  trade,  and 
is  carried  on  chiefly  by  only  a  few  firms. 


of  Technical  Terms       193 

Plus  Mark  [+] — The  sign  of  addition. 

Ply — In  paper  making,  the  number  of  sheets 
used  to  build  up  a  sheet  of  cardboard,  the 
sheets  of  paper  being  pasted  together  to 
make  two-ply,  three-ply,  and  thicker. 

Poetry — In  setting  poetr}%  the  lines  should 
be  indented  so  as  to  make  the  stanzas  ap- 
pear in  the  middle  of  the  page.  This  is 
not  difficult  to  do  when  the  lines  are  some- 
where of  an  equal  length,  but  in  poems 
which  have  lines  of  greatly  varying  lengths 
it  requires  some  calculation  in  order  to 
secure  this  result  without  going  over  the 
matter  a  second  time.  If  there  is  only  an 
occasional  long  line  it  may  be  necessary 
to  put  it  a  little  out  of  the  center  in  order 
to  make  all  the  stanzas  keep  their  place 
on  the  page.  In  the  indention  of  lines  of 
poetry,  quads  of  even  ems  should  be  used, 
in  order  to  secure  uniform  alignment  of 
the  beginning  of  lines,  and  the  odd  spaces 
needed  for  justification  should  be  put  after 
the  last  word  in  the  line.  It  is  customary 
to  indent  alike  the  lines  which  rhyme  with 
each  other,  but  this  is  often  decided  by 
the  author,  as  is  likewise  the  indention  of 
irregular  or  unusal  forms  of  verse.  The 
punctuation  by  the  author  should  also  be 
followed,  even  if  it  does  seem  unusual ;  and 
particular  care  should  be  exercised  in 
reading  copy  to  observe  the  use  of  uncom- 
mon words,  or  the  uncommon  use  of  fa- 
miliar words,  which  writers  of  poetry  will 


194  The  Printer's  Dictionary 

often  employ.  Where  quote-marks  are 
used  in  poetry  it  is  better,  when  they  are 
at  the  beginning  of  the  line,  to  place  the 
inverted  commas  outside  the  alignment  of 
the  first  letters  : 

He  sat  upon  the  deck, 

The  book  was  in  his  hand  ; 
"  Do  not  fear!    Heaven  is  as  near," 
He  said,  "  by  water  as  by  land  I  " 

The  three-to-em  space  is  sufficient  blank 
to  put  between  words  in  poetry  set  solid  or 
single  leaded  ;  when  the  lines  are  opened 
with  two  or  three  leads  the  en-quad  space  is 
needed.  An  old-time  rule  in  many  printing 
houses  was  to  space  all  poetr)-  with  en- 
quads  or  double  spaces.  In  solid  lines,  this 
wide-spacing  gives  a  pigeon-holed  appear- 
ance that  is  not  pleasing,  as  may  be  noted 
in  the  following  stanza  : 

Blessings    on    thee,   little    man. 
Barefoot   boy,  with    cheek    of   tan  ! 
With    thy    turned    up    pantaloons. 
And    thy    merry    whistled    tunes. 

When  a  line  of  poetr)'  is  too  long  to  come 
into  the  measure,  it  is  turned  over  to  the 
next  line,  the  part  thus  turned  over  being 
indented  so  as  to  avoid  confusing  it  with 
the  beginning  of  the  regular  lines. 

The  pressfeeder  stands  while  deftly  his  hands 
Pass  the  sheets  gently  one  by  one  from  the 
lift  to  the  gauges. 
As  the  sheet  gently  glides  down  the  board  to 
the  guides. 
He  is  thus  by  his  skill  daily  earning  his  wage.s. 


of  Technical  Terms       195 

When  space  is  scant  and  it  is  desired  to 
avoid  an  extra  type-line,  this  turned-over 
end  is  often  put  on  the  end  of  the  Une  be- 
fore or  after,  as  seen  in  church  hymnals. 
A  song  to  the  Press,  the  Printing-Press  ! 

Of  the  good  old-fashioned  kind, 
Ere  the  giant  machine,  with  its  pulse  of 
Elbows  it  out  of  mind.  [steam, 

Point — A  mark  of  punctuation ;  also  the  mod- 
ern unit  of  type  measurement.  See  Point 
System,  Sizes  of  Type. 

Points — Pieces  of  steel  placed  in  the  furni- 
ture of  book  forms  to  mark  the  sheets  as 
a  guide  in  folding ;  they  are  also  used  on 
some  presses  for  securing  exact  register. 
"Feeding  to  points"  is  to  place  the  sheets 
(in  printing  or  in  feeding  to  a  folding  ma- 
chine) so  that  the  points  on  the  machine 
will  fit  into  the  point-holes  made  at  the 
first  printing.  This  is  done  where  good 
register  cannot  be  obtained  by  feeding 
the  edge  of  the  sheets  to  side  guides,  as 
with  uneven  or  deckle  edges. 

Point  System —  Formerly  there  was  no  uni- 
form standard  of  tv'pe  sizes,  although  most 
foundries  made  types  in  a  certain  relative 
proportion  which  entitled  them  to  be  called 
by  certain  names.  But,  as  each  foundrj' 
had  a  standard  of  its  own,  the  printer  who 
bought  type  from  different  founders  had 
no  assurance  that  the  type  bodies  of  one 
founder  would  exactly  match  that  of  the 
same  name  from  another.     The  sizes  of 


196  The  Printer's  Dictionary 

types  now  cast  by  American  type-founders 
are  graduated  on  a  uniform  scale  know  as 
the  point  system.  The  unit  of  the  system 
is  a  division  of  space  called  a  point  (.0138 
of  an  inch),  and  all  types  bodies  are  mul- 
tiples of  and  are  measured  by  it.  Each 
size  is  described  by  its  number  of  points. 
See  Sizes  of  Type. 

Polyglot — A  book  printed  in  several  lan- 
guages, in  order  to  unite  various  versions 
for  the  purpose  of  comparison.  Since  the 
early  days  of  t}'pography  the  Bible  has 
been  made  in  polyglot  editions,  all  of  them 
representing  a  high  degree  of  scholarly 
and  mechanical  skill  and  immense  expen- 
ditures of  time  and  money.  A  visit  to  a 
library  and  an  examination  of  some  of 
these  polyglot  books  will  be  of  interest  to 
any  one  interested  in  printing. 

Polytype — A  name  given  to  types  which  were 
cast  together  in  one  line  and  the  letters 
then  cut  apart ;  an  impractical  and  dis- 
carded method  of  type-making.  The  word 
has  been  applied  to  a  stereotype  process 
and  to  a  method  of  making  logotypes. 

Post—h.  size  of  writing  paper  ;  in  England 
16x20  inches  ;  in  America  it  is  1 7  x  2  2 . 
or  folio  post,  but  the  name  post  is  dis- 
carded and  it  is  simply  folio. 

Pot  Cap — An  English  size  of  writing  paper, 
i2>4  X15  or  i5>2. 


of  Technical  Terms         197 

Poster  —  A  sign  intended  to  be  affixed  to  a 
wall  or  board  to  convey  some  public  an- 
nouncement. The  use  of  such  signs  is 
probably  as  old  as  civilization  itself ;  but 
with  the  printing  press  came  in  a  class  of 
signs  more  or  less  answering  to  the  spe- 
cific modern  use  of  the  word  poster.  In 
Paris,  in  the  seventeenth  century,  posters 
printed  on  colored  paper  came  into  use, 
and  French,  English,  and  American  artists 
have  of  late  years  developed  the  poster  to 
a  thing  of  beauty  and  great  effectiveness. 
American  posters  were  first  generally  used 
to  advertise  the  circus  and  the  theatre ; 
since  then  they  have  been  used  for  every 
sort  of  an  announcement  which  the  printer 
or  his  customer  wished  to  make.  Posters 
are  printed  from  large  wooden  type,  as 
well  as  from  large  sizes  of  metal  type,  from 
wood-cuts,  zinc-plates,  and  by  lithography. 
While  occasional  orders  for  small  posters 
may  be  and  often  are  printed  in  offices 
doing  general  jobbing,  posters  are  now 
done  mostly  by  houses  making  a  specialty 
of  this  class  of  work.  In  connection  with 
poster  printing,  bill-posting,  that  is  the 
distributing  and  posting  on  walls  or  build- 
ings, has  assumed  immense  proportions. 
The  regular  size  for  posters  is  now  about 
28x42  inches;  some  are  made  on  larger 
paper,  but  most  large  posters  are  now  on 
two,  four,  six,  or  eight  sheets,  printed  sep- 
arately in  sections  which  will  match  each 


198    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

other,  and  put  together  by  the  bill-poster 
at  his  stands.  Very  large  posters  are  sim- 
ply multiples  of  these  smaller  sheets.  For 
this  large  work,  large  types,  engravings, 
etc.,  are  needed;  sometimes  a  single  letter 
may  fill  the  bed  of  a  large  cylinder  press. 
A  printing  office  doing  this  class  of  work 
has  stock  cuts,  borders,  etc.,  of  large  size, 
made  mostly  of  wood  or  zinc,  and  reg- 
ularly employs  artists  and  engravers  to 
make  designs  and  cut  blocks  for  special 
work. 

Foster  Paper — A  general  term  for  the  grades 
of  paper  suited  to  poster  work,  generally 
coarser  but  stronger  than  news  and  com- 
mon book  paper;  also  made  in  bright  colors. 

Poster  Chase  —  A  large  chase  without  cross- 
bars, in  which  poster  forms  can  be  locked. 

Poster  Stick  —  A  large  wooden  composing 
stick  for  poster  work. 

Poster  7)^^— Large  type  for  printing  posters; 
the  larger  sizes  of  cast  metal  types  are 
used  for  this  work,  but  the  largest  tj'pes 
are  made  of  wood.     See  Wood  Type. 

Postage  Stamps. —  The  methods  of  making 
postage  stamps  have  changed  very  greatly 
since  they  were  first  issued  (in  England. 
1840).  The  early  stamps  were  engraved 
by  hand  upon  copper  plates  from  which 
the  impressions  were  taken.  The  engrav- 
ing of  a  number  of  stamps  on  one  plate, 


of  Technical  Terms         199 

in  order  to  print  several  at  one  impres- 
sion, was  slow  and  expensive  work.  Later 
the  stamp  design  was  engraved  on  steel, 
and  the  common  stamps  of  today  are  real 
steel  engravings.  The  first  step  is  to  engrave 
the  portrait  in  deep  intaglio  on  steel  which 
has  been  softened  by  a  special  process  of 
decarbonization.  Then  the  border  of  the 
stamp,  with  lettering  and  scroll  work,  is  cut 
and  the  steel  is  hardened.  This  hardened 
die  is  next  pressed  with  great  force  into  the 
surface  of  a  cylinder  of  softer  steel,  and 
produces  the  design  in  relief,  the  reverse 
of  intaglio.  This  relief  counterpart  is  in 
turn  hardened  and  is  used  to  press  into 
another  plate  of  softer  steel,  duplicating 
the  design  side  by  side,  to  make  a  plate 
from  which  stamps  are  printed.  By  this 
means  of  transfer  any  number  of  plates  for 
printing  may  be  made  up  with  one  original 
engraved  die,  insuring  absolute  exactness 
in  duplicating  the  design,  and  an  easy 
method  of  renewal  of  printing  plates  as 
they  become  worn  or  injured.  The  plate 
of  dies  as  arranged  in  the  press  produces 
usually  a  sheet  of  four  hundred  stamps 
which,  when  finished,  is  cut  in  four  and  the 
stamps  sent  out  to  postmasters  in  sheets  of 
one  hundred.  The  general  method  of  print- 
ing is  similar  to  other  copper  and  steel 
plate  work  —  the  ink  is  worked  into  the 
depressions  of  the  die,  the  sheet  laid  on, 
and  the  impression  made  with  a  tympan 


200    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

which  forces  the  sheet  into  the  depressions 
to  take  up  the  ink.  Hand  presses  are  com- 
monly used  for  printing  of  this  kind,  but 
at  the  Bureau  of  Engraving  and  Printing 
at  Washington,  where  all  stamps  are  now 
made,  power  presses  are  used.  Many  de- 
tails of  processes  in  making  stamps  are  se- 
cret, and  much  special  machinery  is  used 
in  this  work  exclusively.  Stamps  are  also 
printed  by  setting  separate  electrotypes 
side  by  side  and  then  recasting  them  to- 
gether as  a  single  solid  plate.  Stamps  are 
also  made  by  lithography.  The  printing 
of  stamps  by  type  and  rules  was  an  early 
and  crude  method,  but  was  not  satisfactory 
because  of  the  ease  of  duplicating  and  con- 
sequently counterfeiting.  The  expense  and 
difficulty  of  steel  engraving  make  stamps 
printed  in  this  way  less  liable  to  be  coun- 
terfeited; it  also  makes  possible  the  main- 
tenance of  a  uniformly  high  qualit)'  in  the 
printing  of  the  stamp.  The  punching  of 
lines  of  small  holes,  called  perforating,  in 
order  to  allow  easy  separation  of  stamps 
in  a  sheet,  was  began  about  1854;  previ- 
ous to  this  the  stamps  were  cut  with  scis- 
sors, then  roulette  wheels  were  used,  as  well 
as  brass  and  steel  perforating  rules. 

Postal  Card — The  official  blank  card  used 
by  the  Post  Office  Department  for  carry- 
ing short  messages  at  less  than  regular  let- 
ter rate  (one  cent  for  domestic,  two  cents  for 


of  Technical  Terms        201 

foreign).  The  regulation  size  is  now  (19 10) 
5/4^3}(  inches.  A  quick  and  economical 
method  of  sending  a  notice  or  message 
through  the  mails  to  a  number  of  persons 
is  to  print  it  on  the  back  of  postal  cards. 
All  printers  should  be  familiar  with  the 
Post  Office  regulations  relating  to  these 
cards,  as  well  as  to  post  cards,  stamped 
paper,  and  similar  matter  which  they  will 
at  some  time  or  other  have  to  deal  with.  A 
copy  of  these  regulations  may  be  obtained 
of  any  postmaster. 

Postal  Tube —  Made  of  card  or  straw  board, 
for  mailing  large  prints,  drawings,  etc. 

Post  Card—  A  private  mailing  card  (or  post 
card)  with  a  written  or  printed  message, 
to  be  sent  in  the  domestic  mails,  must  con- 
form to  the  following  conditions :  It  must 
be  an  unfolded  piece  of  card  not  exceeding 
3%6  by  5%6,  nor  less  than  2%  by  4  inches  ; 
it  must  be  in  form  and  in  quality  and 
weight  of  paper  substantially  like  the  gov- 
ernment postal  card  ;  it  may  be  of  any 
color  not  interfering  with  a  legible  address 
and  postmark;  it  may  or  may  not,  at  option 
of  the  sender,  bear  near  the  top  of  the  face 
the  words  "  Post  Card  ";  face  of  card  may 
be  divided  by  a  vertical  line ;  left  half  to 
be  used  for  message,  etc.,  but  right  half 
is  for  address  only ;  very  thin  sheets  of 
paper  which  may  bear  both  writing  and 
printing  may  be  attached  to  card,  but  must 


202    The  Printer  s  Dictionary 

completely  adhere  thereto;  advertisements 
and  illustrations  may  appear  on  back  of 
card  and  on  left  half  of  face.  Cards,  with- 
out cover,  conforming  to  foregoing  condi- 
tions are  transmissible  in  domestic  mails 
and  to  Cuba,  Canada,  Mexico,  Republic  of 
Panama,  and  United  States  postal  agency 
of  Shanghai,  China,  at  the  postage  rate  of 
one  cent  each.  When  post  cards  are  pre- 
pared by  printers  and  stationers  for  sale, 
it  is  desirable  that  they  bear  in  the  upper 
right-hand  corner  of  the  face  an  oblong 
diagram  containing  the  words  "Place  post- 
age stamp  here."  and  at  the  bottom  of  the 
space  to  the  right  of  the  vertical  dividing 
line,  "This  space  for  the  address."  Cards 
which  do  not  conform  to  prescribed  condi- 
tions are,  when  sent  in  the  mails,  chargeable 
with  postage  according  to  the  character  of 
the  message — at  the  letter  rate  (two  cents 
per  ounce  or  fraction)  if  wholly  or  partly  in 
writing,  or  at  the  third-class  rate  (one  cent 
per  two  ounces  or  fraction)  if  entirely  in 
print.  Cards  bearing  particles  of  glass, 
metal,  mica,  sand,  tinsel,  or  other  similar 
substances,  are  unmailable.  except  when 
enclosed  in  envelopes.  Mailing  cards  en- 
tirely printed  for  advertising  or  other  an- 
nouncements, may  be  of  any  convenient 
size  and  shape,  single  or  folded,  and  are 
chargeable  at  third-class  rate. 
Potash — An  alkali  dissolved  and  diluted  with 
water,  used  to  wash  type  forms.   See  Lye. 


of  Technical  Terms        203 

Pound  Mark  —  The  commercial  sign  repre- 
senting pound  in  weight,  lb  ;  also  the  £ 
denoting  the  pound  sterling  in  English 
currency,  etc.  The  character  is  derived 
from  the  Latin  word  libra,  pound.  In  the 
absence  of  the  ligature  ft)  the  letters  lb.  are 
used,  and  the  plural  erroneously  formed 
as  lbs. 

Preface  —  This  feature,  with  the  title  page 
and  table  of  contents,  is  the  most  familiar 
"  front  matter  "  of  a  book.  A  preface  is 
usually  a  word  of  explanation  either  from 
the  author,  the  editor,  or  the  publisher, 
and  it  will  often  be  advisable  to  put  it  in  a 
style  showing  some  distinction  from  the 
regular  text  pages.  In  the  ordinary  book, 
however,  there  need  be  little  in  its  typo- 
graphic style  to  distinguish  it  from  the 
regular  pages  of  the  work.  The  same  type 
face  and  same  size,  with  the  heading  sim- 
ilar to  that  of  the  chapter  heads,  will  be  a 
safe  style  to  follow.  If  the  preface  is  brief, 
occupying  a  single  page,  the  lines  may  be 
leaded  wider;  if  it  is  desired  to  keep  a 
lengthy  preface  in  small  space,  the  lines 
may  be  set  solid,  or  a  smaller  size  type 
employed.  Italic  letter  of  a  style  to  har- 
monize with  the  rest  of  the  book  often 
may  be  used  with  good  effect  for  a  short 
preface.  The  selection  of  a  type  that  is  dis- 
tinctly different  from  the  other  parts  of  the 
work  is  not  commended ;  nor  should  prom- 
inent  initials  or  head-pieces  be  used  if 


204    The  Printer's  Dictionar)- 

these  features  are  not  employed  in  the 
other  divisions  of  the  book.  When  head- 
pieces and  initials  are  used  at  the  begin- 
ning of  chapters,  they  may  be  used  for  the 
preface,  or  they  may  be  properly  omitted 
and  the  prefatory  page  set  in  plain  fashion. 

Preliminary  Matter — The  title,  preface,  table 
of  contents,  etc.,  which  comes  before  the 
main  text  of  a  book;  the  front  matter. 

Press  —  The  machine  or  apparatus  used  to 
press  the  paper  on  the  type,  engraving,  or 
plate.  For  printing  there  are  three  distinct 
mechanical  methods  of  imparting  this  im- 
pression. The  first  method  is  the  platen 
press,  whereby  the  paper  is  pressed  with 
a  smooth,  flat  surface  on  the  flat  face  of 
the  printing  form,  as  illustrated  here : 

(  ^^ 

^  iiiiiiiiiiii|iii|iHII    ^      I   , 


THEORY  OF  THE  PLATEN  PRESS. 

a  platen,  b  type  form,   c  bed. 

X  /  This  was  the  principle  of  the  first  printing 

presses.  The  platen  was  a  smooth  block 
of  wood,  and  the  impression  was  given  by 
means  of  a  screw  turning  in  a  nut  fixed 
to  the  upper  part  of  the  apparatus.  The 
bed  was  originally  of  wood  also,  but  later 
it  was  a  flat  stone,  and  about  the  year  1 790 
iron  began  to  be  used.  (For  description  of 
the  early  hand  presses,  see  Lockwood's 


of  Technical  Terms        205 

American  Dictionary  of  Printifjg  and  Book- 
maki?ig;  also  De  Vinne's  Invention  of  Print- 
ing {^.^21  etseq^  The  common  forms  of  job 
presses  such  as  the  Gordons  (Chandler  & 
Price,  Peerless,  Challenge,  etc.),  Falcon, 
Golding,  Pearl,  Prouty,  Universal,  "Colt's 
Armory,"  etc.,  are  platen  machines.  The 
usual  sizes  of  these  presses  print  forms 
from  business-card  size  up  to  14x22  inches. 
The  second  class  of  presses  is  known  as 
the  fiat-bed-and-cylinder  style.  In  this  the 
impression  is  given  by  the  surface  of  a 
cylinder  which  revolves  and  gives  the  im- 
pression while  the  flat  bed  containing  the 
printing  form  passes  underneath. 


0 


THEORY   OF   THE    FLAT-BED   CYLINDER    PRESS. 

a  printing  cylinder,   b  type  form,   c  bed. 

Printing  with  a  cylinder  was  first  made 
practical  about  18 14  in  England.  (See 
Konig  Press.)  There  are  now  many  dif- 
ferent makes  of  this  style  of  press,  and 
they  are  again  classified  in  two  distinct 
types:  the  drum  cylinder  (the  older  style), 
in  which  the  cylinder  makes  one  revolution 
while  the  bed  moves  forward  for  the  im- 
pression and  returns  for  the  next;  and  the 
modern  two-revolution  style,  in  which  a 
smaller  cylinder  makes  one  revolution  for 
the  impression  and  then,  rising  slightly, 


2o6    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

makes  another  revolution  without  impres- 
sion while  the  bed  is  returning  to  the  start- 
ing point  for  the  next  impression.  The 
drum  cylinder  is  large  and  prints  with  only 
part  of  its  surface,  then  rises  slightly  and 
continues  its  revolution  while  the  bed  re- 
turns for  the  next  impression.  In  both  kinds, 
the  cylinder  has  a  small  opening  in  its  sur- 
face, in  which  is  fitted  a  rod  with  grippers 
that  catch  the  sheet  of  paper  at  the  proper 
moment  and  carry  it  around  for  the  im- 
pression ;  then  releasing  the  sheet  when 
printed,  so  that  it  is  carried  on  the  receiv- 
ing table  by  another  part  of  the  mech- 
anism. There  are  many  different  varieties 
of  these  presses  and  they  are  employed  for 
all  classes  of  typographic  and  relief  plate 
printing,  as  well  as  for  lithographic  work. 
The  sizes  made  range  from  those  printing 
forms  22  X  28  inches  up  to  about  47  x  66 
inches. 


OO' 


JTAKY    PRESS. 


a  cylinder  containing  curved  stereotypes  or  electrotypes. 
b  the  impression  cylinder.  Tlie  sfieet  of  paper  passes 
between  the  two. 

The  third  class  of  printing  presses  is  the 
rotary,  or  those  which  employ  a  cylinder 
for  the  printing  form  as  well  as  for  the  im- 
pressional  surface.  Of  this  style  are  the 
machines  used  for  daily  newspapers  and 
magazines  of  large  circulation,  in  which 


of  Technical  Terms        207 

the  paper  is  run  from  a  continuous  web  or 
roll.  The  printing  forms  for  machines  of 
this  kind  are  stereotypes  (for  newspapers) 
cast  in  curved  shape,  or  curved  electro- 
types for  the  better  grades  of  work.  These 
plates  are  curved  to  fit  the  cylinder  surface, 
and  are  held  in  place  by  clamps  or  catches 
at  the  sides  of  the  plates. 

In  England  the  word  press  is  restricted 
to  the  style  of  apparatus  which  we  call  the 
hand  press,  and  the  more  complicated  mod- 
ern machine  operated  by  power  is  known 
as  a  machine ;  in  this  country  the  -word press 
is  applied  to  all  machines  for  printing, 
stamping,  and  similar  purposes. 

Fress  Board — -A  smooth  board  of  seasoned 
hard  wood,  usually  bound  with  a  strip  of 
brass  or  metal,  used  to  press  sheets  of 
paper  or  bound  books  smooth  and  flat  in 
a  standing  press.  Bookbinder's  board,  a 
strong  glazed  cardboard,  much  used  for 
cylinder  covers,  or  packing,  and  for  platen 
tympans,  is  also  called  press  board. 

Fress  Coimter —  A  small  attachment  for  reg- 
istering the  number  of  impressions  printed. 
It  is  attached  where  a  small  lever  is  oper- 
ated at  each  impressional  movement  of  the 
press,  this  lever  in  turn  operating  a  number 
of  small  wheels  in  the  interior ;  on  these 
wheels  are  the  ten  figures,  i  to  o,  and  as 
the  counter  is  operated  the  figures  are  pre- 
sented in  sequence  at  openings  on  the  face. 


2o8    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Pressman  —  One  who  operates  a  printing- 
press,  or  has  charge  of  one.  A  press  feeder 
is  not  usually  termed  a  pressman  unless 
he  also  makes  ready  and  manages  a  press. 

Press  Points  —  See  Points. 

Press  P?-oof — A  proof  made  with  care  by  put- 
ting the  form  on  the  press  and  making 
ready  in  one  or  more  colors,  as  the  work 
would  be  ultimately  printed,  in  distinction 
from  rough  proof  made  by  usual  methods. 
Also  the  final  proof,  either  from  type  or 
electros,  passed  by  author  or  proofreader, 
signifying  that  the  work  is  ready  for  print- 
ing.    See  Proof. 

Press  Punch  —  A  small  device  for  punching 
holes  in  a  sheet  of  paper  or  card  at  the 
same  time  that  it  is  printed.  One  style  is 
secured  to  the  tympan  of  the  platen  press, 
like  a  feed  gauge,  so  that  the  edge  of  the 
sheet  is  fed  between  its  two  lips,  one  lip 
having  a  punch  and  the  other  the  corre- 
sponding hole.  The  printing  impression 
forces  the  two  parts  together  and  punches 
the  hole  in  the  sheet.  Another  style  of  press 
punch  is  like  a  large  type,  made  of  steel, 
and  is  locked  in  position  with  the  type 
form.  It  punches  the  hole  in  the  sheet 
simultaneously  with  the  printing.  This 
style  has,  inside  of  the  round  cutting  edge, 
an  ejector  supported  by  a  spiral  spring 
which  pushes  out  the  small  pieces  of  paper 
cut  from  the  sheet,  as  soon  as  the  impres- 
sion is  released. 


of  Technical  Terms        209 

Press  Revise  —  A  sheet  from  the  form  made 
ready  on  the  press,  to  revise  for  final  cor- 
rections, etc. 

Press  Room — The  department  of  a  printing 
establishment  where  presses  are  operated. 

Presswork — ^This  commonly  includes  all  the 
operations  necessary  for  printing,  emboss- 
ing, bronzing,  scoring  (when  done  on  a 
press),  and  all  kinds  of  labor  which  per- 
tains to  the  press  after  it  is  erected  and  in 
running  order.  The  setting  up  of  a  press 
is  not  now  deemed  part  of  a  pressman's 
work,  as  it  was  formerly.  On  account  of 
the  complexity  of  modern  machines,  as 
well  as  the  introduction  of  new  devices,  the 
erection  of  a  press  is  done  by  a  machinist 
conversant  with  the  particular  style  of 
press.  Presswork  includes  caring  for  roll- 
ers, inks,  and  paper,  as  well  as  the  proper 
handling  of  the  press  and  the  form,  and 
calls  for  skill  in  proportion  to  the  class  of 
printing  done. 

Print — An  impression  from  a  plate,  engrav- 
ing, etc.  A  book,  periodical,  or  other  pub- 
lication which  is  no  longer  in  stock  is  said 
to  be  "out  of  print,"  although  it  may  be 
obtained  of  second-hand  dealers  or  others. 

Print  Paper — The  common  grades  of  unsized 
paper,  such  as  used  for  newspapers,  mag- 
azines, books,  etc.,  as  distinguished  from 
writing  paper,  wrapping  paper,  etc. 


2IO    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Printer — One  who  follows  the  occupation  of 
printing,  either  as  workman  or  employer: 
nowadays  a  very  comprehensive  term, 
which  should  have  some  qualifying  ad- 
jective, such  as  book  printer,  newspaper 
printer,  job  printer,  lithographic  printer, 
plate  printer,  etc.  Verj'  inconsistently  the 
term  "printer"  seems  often  to  be  applied 
to  those  who  are  merely  compositors  and 
have  little  or  nothing  to  do  with  presswork, 
or  printing. 

Printer'' s  Bible  —  A  Bible  printed  prior  to 
1702,  mentioned  by  Rev.  Cotton  Mather, 
containing  the  \iOX(S.  printers  in  place  of 
princes  in  Psalm  cxix  :  161.  "  Printers  have 
persecuted  me  without  cause." 

Printer's  Devil — The  errand  boy  in  a  print- 
ing office.    See  Devil. 

Printing  Ink  —  A  mechanical  combination  of 
boiled  oil  and  black  or  colored  pigment, 
used  to  make  visible  and  permanant  the 
impression  of  type,  engravings,  etc.,  on 
paper.  Printing  ink  is  not  at  all  like  writ- 
ing ink,  but  is  more  like  paint,  with  cer- 
tain qualities  which  are  necessar}-  for  its 
peculiar  use.  It  must  distribute  in  a  thin 
film  freely  and  easily,  and  it  must  work 
sharp  and  clean,  without  spreading;  it 
must  adhere  to  the  type  readily,  and  yet 
come  oflf  as  readily  and  adhere  to  the 
paper  ;  it  must  not  dry  too  quickly,  but 
should  dry  hard   in   several   hours   after 


b 


of  Technical  Terms        211 

being  deposited  on  the  paper.  For  many 
printing  inks  linseed  oil  is  used,  often  with 
some  rosin  oil ;  and  rosin  oil  alone  is  used 
for  the  cheaper,  coarser  grades.  Linseed 
oil  is  prepared  by  boiling  at  a  high  tem- 
perature until  all  the  moisture  and  volatile 
substances  are  eliminated,  and  for  the 
stifif  varnishes  the  greasy  portion  is  burned 
out,  and  certain  chemicals  are  generally 
added  to  give  drying  qualities.  Ink  is 
made  by  mixing  certain  proportions  of 
this  varnish  and  color  pigment,  the  mix- 
ture varying  in  quantity  and  quality  ac- 
cording to  the  nature  of  the  pigment  and 
the  kind  of  ink  required.  Different  pig- 
ments have  been  used  for  making  black 
ink  —  black  minerals,  lampblack,  or  soot, 
ivory  black,  and  carbon  black  —  but  car- 
bon black  is  now  mostly  used  because  of 
its  superior  covering  quality  and  density. 
Black  ink,  however,  is  often  toned  with  a 
little  blue  to  give  it  depth  and  richness, 
as  the  natural  pigment  has  a  reddish  or 
brownish  hue. 

Color  pigments  are  derived  from  three 
sources  :  mineral  (native  and  artificial  pig- 
ments); vegetable  (native  pigments,  lakes 
and  indirect  products);  animal  (native  pig- 
ments, lakes  and  indirect  products).  In  the 
native  mineral  pigments,  genuine  ultra- 
marine blue  stands  first  in  brilliancy  of 
color,  and  although  matched  artificially  it 
will  never  be  equalled  for  transparency 


212    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

and  durability.  Yellow  ochre,  raw  sienna, 
raw  umber,  and  Indian  red,  are  all  made 
of  imported  earths.  Artificial  mineral  pig- 
ments arederived  through  chemical  action, 
and  include  such  colors  as  vermilion,  arti- 
ficial ultramarine  blue,  Chinese  white, 
pure  scarlet,  emerald  green.  In  fact,  the 
advance  in  chemistry  has  been  so  rapid 
that  almost  any  pigment  can  be  closely 
duplicated  by  artificial  means.  Gamboge, 
a  gum  from  a  tree  in  Ceylon  ;  indigo,  from 
the  leaves  of  the  indigo  plant ;  madder 
lake,  from  the  roots  of  the  madder  plant : 
and  yellow  lake,  from  the  quercitron  bark, 
are  some  of  the  pigments  of  the  vegetable 
kingdom.  Indian  yellow,  a  deposit  from 
the  urine  of  the  camel ;  sepia,  a  secretion 
of  the  cuttle-fish  ;  carmine,  made  by  crush- 
ing the  cochineal  insect ;  and  indirectly, 
lamp-black,  the  soot  of  burning  vegetable 
oils,  are  products  of  the  animal  kingdom. 
All  pigments  are  not  suited  for  printing 
ink  manufacture.  Many  of  them,  while 
extremely  useful  in  other  ways,  do  not  pos- 
sess the  chemical  properties  for  combin- 
ing with  varnish  and  produciug  the  clear, 
even  impression  that  ink  must  possess. 
Covering  power  is  one  of  the  most,  if  not 
the  most,  important  property  of  a  pigment. 
In  comparing  samples  of  different  makes 
of  the  same  color,  that  sample  which  shows 
the  strongest  covering  powers  is  consid- 
ered the  best,  other  qualities  being  equal. 


of  Technical  Terms        213 

Covering  power  varies  greatly  in  dif- 
ferent pigments.  Some  pigments  are  re- 
cognized as  being  transparent  and  are 
used  as  such.  Carmine,  lakes,  ultrama- 
rines, etc.,  belong  to  this  class.  Coloring 
power  is  not  infrequently  confused  with 
covering  power,  but  it  is  a  distinctly  dif- 
ferent property  from  the  latter.  For  exam- 
ple, a  color  may  possess  great  coloring 
power  and  yet  be  deficient  in  covering 
power.  To  illustrate  :  Prussian  blue  is  one 
of  the  most  powerful  coloring  pigments 
known  to  the  color  world,  yet  in  body  it 
is  almost  transparent.  This  color  and 
others  of  the  same  characteristics  are 
therefore  chiefly  dealt  with  from  the  point 
of  coloring  power.  In  making  ink,  great 
care  must  be  taken  as  to  the  order  in  which 
the  different  ingredients  are  added.  Some 
colors  must  be  ground  hot,  some  fast,  and 
some  slow,  and  the  skill  in  doing  these 
constitutes  a  good  part  of  the  formula. 
The  kind  of  paper  stock  used  should 
determine  the  grade  of  ink.  Heavy,  rough, 
colored  papers  need  entirely  different  ink 
from  smooth,  white  paper,  and  require 
opaque  colors  —  that  is,  ink  made  from 
such  pigments  as  do  not  allow  the  color 
of  the  stock  to  show  through  them  and 
transmit  this  color  into  their  own.  A  trans- 
parent red  printed  on  a  green  stock  turns 
brown,  but  an  opaque  cover  ink  retains  its 
own  color  because  it  is  so  dense  that  no 


214    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

light  is  able  to  penetrate  through  it.  Cover 
inks  should  be  of  a  heavy  body  and  so  full 
of  color  that  one  pound  will  have  almost 
enough  color  in  it  to  make  two  pounds  of 
ordinary  transparent  ink.  Great  care  is 
used  in  selectmg  the  pigments  for  these 
inks,  and  only  those  are  used  which  are 
known  to  have  great  covering  capacity. 
Ink  for  enamel-coated  papers  is  of  an  en- 
tirely different  nature,  and  must  be  made 
according  to  the  surface  of  the  paper. 

Printers'  Marks — Emblems  or  devices  used 
by  printers  on  their  work,  serving  the  pur- 
pose of  trade-marks.  Among  early  printers 
these  devices  were  common,  and  these  are 
now  of  considerable  interest  and  signifi- 
cance. Many  modern  printers  and  print- 
ing firms  use  devices  as  imprints.  See 
Imprint. 

Frititer's  Oblong — A  rectangle  in  which  the 
diagonal  line  from  one  corner  to  another 
is  twice  the  length  of  the  shortest  side. 
This  is  approximately  the  shape  of  the 
usual  book  page,  and  is  a  pleasing  pro- 
portion either  as  an  upright  or  a  "  broad  " 
page. 

Printer's  Ream — In  England,  516  sheets. 

Priory  Text  —  A  style  of  black  letter  or  Old 
English  based  on  early  manuscript  and 
printed  work.  It  has  many  variations  and 
is  called  by  other  names.  See  OU  English. 

cf^pccinicn  of  priorp  Cert 


of  Technical  Terms        215 

Process  Efigraving — The  general  term  ap- 
plied to  printing  surfaces  produced  by 
chemical  and  mechanical  means ;  more 
especially  the  photo-mechanical  processes 
by  which  zinc  etchings,  halftones,  etc.,  are 
produced.  The  relief  etching,  or  process 
block,  is  the  simplest  and  cheapest  method 
of  making  an  engraving.  By  this  process 
the  metal,  usually  zinc,  is  eaten  away  with 
acid  in  the  white  places  of  the  design, 
the  printing  lines  and  dots  being  protected 
by  a  composition  which  resists  the  action 
of  the  acid.  The  design  may  be  drawn 
on  by  hand  or  transferred  from  another 
surface,  but  the  more  common  method  is 
I  by  photographic  process,  as  follows:  The 
■■  thin,  polished  zinc  or  copper  plate,  coated 
with  a  solution  of  fish  glue  or  albumen 
mixed  with  a  bichromate,  is  exposed  to  light 
under  a  reversed  photographic  negative  of 
the  picture  or  design,  which  changes  the 
nature  of  the  coating  where  the  light  hits 
it.  The  plate  is  then  washed  with  water, 
which  removes  the  unchanged  part  of  the 
coating,  leaving  the  lines  of  the  picture  in 
hardened  glue  or  albumen.  It  is  then 
etched  with  the  acid,  and  after  the  large 
blank  spaces  are  cut  out  a  little  deeper, 
the  plate  is  trimmed  and  mounted  type- 
high.  Zinc  etching  is  the  process  of  en- 
graving commonly  used  for  newspapers 
and  for  the  ordinary  grades  of  periodical 
and  commercial  work.   The  copy  for  re- 


i6    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

production  is  usually  drawn  with  a  pen  on 
white  paper  or  card,  with  perfectly  black 
ink,  and  all  the  degrees  of  light  and  shade 
must  be  produced  by  dots  and  lines  of 
varying  widths  and  distances  apart  Pho- 
tographs, wash-drawings,  and  fine-grained 
or  tinted  pictures  must  have  their  essen- 
tial parts  translated  into  distinct  lines  in 
order  to  be  engraved  by  this  method. 
Halftone  engraving  is  done  practically 
by  the  same  methods  as  zinc  etching,  the 
difference  being  that,  in  photographing, 
a  screen  is  interposed  between  the  sensi- 
tive plate  in  the  camera  and  picture  or 
design.  This  screen  is  placed  near  the 
plate,  and,  the  light  passing  through  it. 
the  object  on  the  negative  is  broken 
up  into  a  mass  of  small  squares,  or  dots 
which  are  larger  or  smaller  as  the  corres- 
ponding parts  of  the  copy  are  darker  or 
lighter.  This  screen  negative  is  then 
placed  beside  a  polished  and  sensitized 
copper  (sometimes  zinc)  plate,  and  after 
exposure  to  light,  the  plate  is  developed 
and  manipulated  so  as  to  protect  the  dots 
on  its  surface  from  the  action  of  the  acid 
with  which  it  is  afterward  etched.  The 
plate  is  then  trimmed  and  mounted,  as  for 
a  zinc  plate.  The  halftone  screen  varies 
in  fineness  from  80  to  250  lines  to  an  inch, 
according  to  the  coarseness  or  fineness  of 
the  plate  required,  this  being  determined 
by  the  finish  of  the  paper  to  be  used  and 


of  Technical  Terms        217 

the  care  with  which  it  may  be  printed. 
The  coarse  screen  is  best  suited  for  the 
rapid  work  and  cheaper  paper  of  a  daily 
newspaper,  while  a  screen  of  125  to  200 
line;-.,  on  smooth,  coated  papers,  printed 
on  slow  presses,  gives  finer  results  in  the 
picture.  The  finer  the  screen  used,  the 
shallower  the  plate  can  be  etched,  and 
smooth  paper  and  fine  ink  must  be  used 
in  order  to  print  it  clearly  without  blurring. 
Proof— Mtex  types  are  set  their  correctness 
must  be  verified  before  they  are  ready  to 
be  printed.  For  this  purpose  a  trial  im- 
pression is  taken,  in  order  that  the  compo- 
sition may  be  examined  and  needed  cor- 
rections made.  This  trial  impression  is 
the  printer's /w^,  and  the  time  and  care 
given  to  it  is  a  matter  of  very  great  impor- 
tance in  every  printing  room.  By  any  of 
the  usual  methods  employed  in  taking 
proofs,  the  first  operation,  after  the  type 
is  secured  so  that  it  will  stand  squarely  on 
its  feet,  is  to  roll  ink  on  its  face ;  then  a 
sheet  of  paper  is  laid  on  and  impressed  so 
as  to  take  a  transfer  of  the  ink.  This  im- 
pression may  be  made : 
First  —  By  pounding  the  paper  carefully 
on  the  type  with  a  flat-faced,  felt-covered 
block  called  a  proof  planer. 
Second  —  By  placing  the  type  on  a  roller 
proof  press,  where  the  impression  is  made 
by  moving  over  it  a  heavy  iron  roller  cov- 
ered with  thick  cloth  or  felt. 


2i8    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Third  —  By  placing  the  type  on  a  hand 
press.  Here  the  type  is  inked,  the  sheet 
laid  on,  then  the  tympan  turned  down,  the 
bed  run  under  the  platen,  and  the  bar 
pulled  over.  To  "  pull  a  proof  "  is  to  take 
it  by  this  latter  method,  but  the  term  is 
commonly  meant  to  take  a  proof  by  any 
method. 

In  many  cases  a  number  of  successive 
proofs  may  be  taken  from  the  same  page 
of  type  during  its  preparation  for  the  final 
printing ;  and  in  book-printing  houses 
these  several  proofs  may  be  taken  at  dif- 
ferent stages  by  all  three  of  the  above 
methods.  When  the  compositor  finishes 
his  work  of  setting  the  lines  and  they  are 
locked  in  the  galley  by  means  of  side-stick 
and  quoins,  \h^  first  proof  \s  usually  taken 
on  a  roller  press.  After  this  proof  has 
been  examined  by  the  proof  reader,  and 
the  necessary  corrections  made  in  the 
metal,  another  proof  is  taken.  If  there  are 
many  changes,  or  the  work  calls  for  extra 
care,  other  proofs  may  be  required.  A 
revise  proof  is  one  that  is  taken  after  cor- 
recting the  type,  to  see  that  all  corrections 
marked  on  the  previous  proof  have  been 
properly  made  and  that  no  new  errors 
have  crept  in.  After  the  galley  matter  is 
corrected  and  made  up  into  pages,  with 
headings,  page  numbers,  notes,  etc.,  the 
pages  are  tied  up  with  strong  strings  and 
are  again  proved  on  a  hand-press.  Possibly 


f 


of  Technical  Terms        219 

the  pages  may  need  several  revisions  and 
other  proofs  at  this  stage ;  or,  if  they  are 
to  be  electrotyped,  guard-lines  are  placed 
around  each  page  and  they  are  locked  in 
foundry  chases  (in  pairs,  if  they  are  pages 
of  ordinary  size)  and  foundry  proofs  are 
pulled.  The  final  proofs  are  taken  when 
the  pages  are  imposed  and  locked  in  the 
chase,  ready  for  the  press.  At  this  stage 
the  form  of  eight,  twelve,  or  more  book 
pages  is  too  large  for  the  hand-press,  and 
in  order  to  avoid  loss  of  time  on  the  large 
printing  press,  while  waiting  for  final  re- 
vision, a  proof  is  taken  by  beating  with 
the  proof  planer.  See  Proof  Planer. 
A  good  quality  of  moderately  stiff  ink 
should  be  used  for  taking  proofs  ;  to  use 
a  cheap,  thin,  or  oily  ink  is  not  satisfactory 
and  in  the  end  is  the  most  expensive.  If 
the  ink  is  to  stay  on  the  roller  and  ink- 
slab  all  day,  a  quick-drying  ink  should  be 
avoided.  Use  the  smallest  quantity  of  ink 
necessary  to  get  a  distinct  impression,  and 
distribute  it  thoroughly  on  the  ink-slab. 
If  the  roller  has  too  much  ink,  a  muddy 
proof  will  be  the  result.  A  gray  proof  is 
preferable  to  a  smutted  one,  or  one  that 
the  proof  reader  cannot  handle  without 
rubbing  it  dirt)'.  A  proof  with  too  much 
ink  or  too  much  impression  makes  difficult 
the  detection  of  bad  letters.  To  take  off 
any  surplus  ink  that  may  have  been  needed 
for  a  previous  form,  run  the  roller  slowly 
over  a  sheet  of  waste  paper. 


2  20    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

The  paper  used  for  proofs  should  not  be 
of  the  poorest  quality.  Book  paper  with 
a  reasonably  smooth  surface,  slightly 
dampened,  will  suffice  for  office  proofs  and 
galley  proofs.  Hand-press  proofs  from 
made-up  pages,  intended  for  the  author  or 
customer,  should  be  made  on  good  paper 
of  clear  color  and  strong  enough  to  bear 
handling.  Coated  paper  is  sometimes  used 
for  special  proofs  in  which  engravings  or 
fine  lines  occur.  Each  proof  sheet  should 
have  a  white  margin  of  an  inch  or  more 
on  the  sides,  to  permit  of  marking  correc- 
tions by  the  proof  reader.  A  number  of 
pages  or  galleys,  or  a  succession  of  proofs 
of  the  same  work,  should  be  made  on  sheets 
of  the  same  size  and,  if  possible,  of  the 
same  grade  of  stock.  Proofs  taken  on  odd 
scraps  of  paper  of  different  sizes  make 
trouble  for  the  proof  reader  and  the  fore- 
man, and  cause  confusion  and  liability  to 
error  in  keeping  track  of  the  work.  A  sup- 
ply of  proof  paper,  cut  in  the  several  sizes 
frequently  used,  and  kept  in  a  convenient 
place,  is  the  only  satisfactor)-  method  of 
securing  neat  and  orderly  proofs. 

Proof  Planer — A  block  of  hard  wood  about 
7  X3I/2  inches  and  2  inches  thick,  having 
its  face  covered  with  a  piece  of  felt  or  thick 
cloth,  used  to  take  proofs.  The  type  or 
electro  is  inked  and  a  sheet  of  proof  paper 
is  dampened  evenly  all  over  with  a  sponge. 


of  Technical  Terms        221 

so  that  it  is  limp  but  not  too  wet.  The  side 
of  the  sheet  that  is  not  sponged  is  then  laid 
on  the  type;  the  proof  planer,  held  in  one 
hand,  is  carefully  placed  on  the  sheet  with 
the  cloth  side  down,  and  with  a  mallet  in 
the  other  hand  the  planer  is  hit  with  a 
steady  blow  to  press  the  paper  on  the  type. 
Some  care  and  practice  is  needed  to  get  just 
the  right  quantity  of  ink  on  the  type,  the 
right  degree  of  dampness  in  the  sheet,  and 
the  right  kind  of  blow  on  the  back  of  the 
planer  to  produce  a  clear  impression.  If  the 
page  or  galley  matter  is  too  large  for  the 
planer  to  cover  at  one  blow,  the  pounding  is 
started  near  the  top  of  the  matter  and  as 
each  blow  is  struck  the  planer  is  moved  over 
the  surface  until  the  whole  has  received  the 
impression.  Care  must  be  taken  to  hold  the 
planer  steady  on  the  type,  and  to  hit  the 
planer  so  that  the  force  of  the  blow  will  be 
exactly  perpendicular,  otherwise  the  least 
disturbance  of  the  sheet  sideways  will  result 
in  a  slurred  proof.  The  planer  must  be  held 
firmly  and  perfectly  level,  and  not  allowed 
to  slip  sideways  or  rebound.  With  a  large 
mallet  a  steadier  blow  may  sometimes  be 
given  by  holding  the  mallet-head  upright 
and  hitting  with  the  end  of  the  handle. 
Special  care  should  be  taken  not  to  beat 
the  planer  too  hard  on  open  parts  of  a  form 
or  on  exposed  lines,  where  even  a  slight 
blow  will  break  through  the  paper  and  also 
batter  the  types. 


222    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Proof  Prhit — An  early  impression  of  an  en- 
graving, taken  with  more  care  than  an 
ordinary  proof. 

Proof  Press — The  two  most  common  styles 
of  presses  for  taking  proofs  are  the  platen 
hand  press  (see  Hand  Press)  and  the  roller 
galley-proof  press.  For  most  kinds  of  work 
the  hand  press  is  superior.  The  roller 
press  is  a  simple,  economical  apparatus, 
takes  up  little  room,  and  is  more  especially 
adapted  for  taking  proofs  of  long  galley 
matter.  The  common  roller  proof  press 
has  an  iron  frame  upon  which  is  mounted 
an  oblong,  flat  bed,  also  of  iron.  On  two 
sides  of  this  bed  are  ledges  upon  which 
an  iron  cylinder,  having  its  face  covered 
with  thick,  strong  cloth  or  felt,  may  be 
moved  back  and  forth.  When  the  galley  o\ 
type  is  placed  on  the  bed,  and  the  typr 
has  been  inked  with  a  hand  roller,  astri] 
of  paper  is  laid  on  and  the  cylinder  movtti 
over  it  to  give  the  impression.  Dry  paptr 
may  be  used  for  small  forms,  or  even  fo: 
galley  proofs,  but  paper  that  is  slighth 
dampened  will  be  more  satisfactory.  The 
cylinder  and  the  ledges  upon  which  it  rests 
are  adjusted  so  that  it  gives  the  right  im- 
pression with  the  galley  under  the  type. 
In  the  absence  of  a  galley,  as  when  the 
page  is  made  up  and  tied  with  a  string,  a 
sheet  of  metal  or  thick  mill-board  is  placed 
under  the  type  to  bring  it  to  the  required 
height.    Differences  in  the  height  of  type, 


of  Technical  Terms        223 

caused  by  varying  thicknesses  of  galley- 
bottoms,  are  regulated  by  adding  sheets 
of  paper  or  card  on  top  of  the  proof  sheet 
or  under  the  type  or  galley.  Careful  at- 
tention to  the  impression  is  necessary  on 
a  proof  press  of  this  style.  Too  often  this 
work  is  left  to  careless  boys,  who  habit- 
ually make  the  impression  heavier  than  is 
needed,  to  the  speedy  ruin  of  the  type  and 
engravings. 

In  daily  newspaper  rooms  galley  proofs 
are  taken  on  presses  of  the  roller  style, 
with  the  additional  improvement  that  the 
type  is  inked  and  the  paper  fed  from  a 
roll  automatically,  the  needed  apparatus 
being  attached  to  a  carriage  that  moves 
back  and  forth  with  the  cylinder  that  gives 
the  impression.  By  this  arrangement  the 
only  labor  necessary  is  to  place  the  galley 
of  type  on  the  bed  and  move  the  roller 
carriage  over  it  by  means  of  a  crank. 
A  recent  invention  is  a  press  by  which  the 
impression  is  given  by  a  curved  surface, 
covered  with  felt,  like  the  section  of  a 
printing  cylinder.  This  is  geared  to  the 
frame,  and,  by  pulling  a  handle,  is  turned 
over  onto  the  form,  which  has  been  inked 
in  the  usual  manner  and  has  the  proof 
sheet  laid  on  it. 
Proof  Puller — The  person,  usually  a  boy, 
whose  duty  it  is  to  take  proofs  at  the  press 
in  a  newspaper  or  book  office  employing 
a  number  of  hands. 


224    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Proof  Reader — One  who  reads  proofs.  The 
work  of  a  proof  reader  is  to  read  the  proof 
sheets  and  mark  any  needed  corrections 
with  pen  or  pencil.  Incidentally  there 
may  be  other  duties  assigned  to  him,  such 
as  collecting  and  arranging  copy,  revising 
proofs  to  see  that  corrections  have  been 
properly  made,  taking  care  of  copy  after 
it  has  been  used,  until  the  work  is  com- 
pleted and  copy  is  bundled  up  for  preser- 
vation or  otherwise  disposed  of.  Different 
usages  are  in  vogue  in  different  printing 
houses  regarding  these  details.  In  small 
establishments  one  person  may  be  able  to 
attend  to  the  reading  of  proof  and  all 
details  connected  therewith  ;  but  in  larger 
shops,  especially  where  there  is  book,  pe- 
riodical, and  other  work  calling  for  much 
reading,  several  persons  are  required  and 
the  work  is  divided  so  as  to  secure  expe- 
ditious and  accurate  results.  The  proof 
reader's  usual  assistant  is  the  copy  holder, 
or  one  who  holds  and  reads  the  copy  aloud 
while  the  proof  reader  looks  on  the  proof 
sheet  and  marks  the  errors.  On  work 
of  an  important  nature,  like  historical, 
scientific,  or  technical  books,  the  reading 
of  proofs  will  be  done  by  several  proof 
readers  in  turn,  in  addition  to  the  author's 
reading.  The  first  reader  will  commonly 
look  for  the  compositor's  errors,  such  as 
misspelling,  imperfect  and  wrong-font  let- 
ters, inverted  letters,  bad  spacing,  irreg- 


of  Technical  Terms        225 

ular  indentions  of  paragraphs,  deviations 
from  copy,  and  other  typographical  mat- 
ters ;  obvious  mistakes  in  grammar,  incor- 
rect use  of  words,  and  similar  literary 
errors  will  also  be  noted,  and  either  cor- 
rected or  called  to  the  attention  of  the 
author  or  the  editor. 

A  practical  knowledge  of  the  compositor's 
work  is  necessary  to  read  proof  success- 
fully. To  be  competent,  a  proof  reader 
should  have,  in  addition  to  a  thorough 
knowledge  of  printing,  a  quick  eye,  a  good 
acquaintance  with  literature  and  general 
affairs,  as  well  as  thorough  familiarity 
with  punctuation,  spelling,  use  of  capitals, 
etc.  To  the  compositor  and  proof  reader 
there  are  a  thousand  and  one  small  mat- 
ters that  require  correction,  which  do  not 
appear  to  the  ordinary  reader  of  the  com- 
pleted work.  The  author  may  capitalize  a 
word  in  one  place  and  omit  the  capital  in 
another  similar  case  ;  an  abbreviation  may 
be  used  once  and  the  same  word  spelled 
in  full  elsewhere  ;  figures  used  in  one  line 
and  the  number  spelled  out  a  few  lines 
further  on  ;  words  of  variable  spelling  may 
be  one  way  in  one  page  and  according  to 
another  dictionary  on  the  next  page ;  the 
use  of  punctuation  marks  may  be  incor- 
rect and  inconsistent ;  statements  of  fact 
even  may  be  inaccurate,  through  thought- 
lessness or  lack  of  technical  experience. 
Then  there  is  "style  of  the  office,"  or  the 


226    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

publication,  which  must  be  adhered  to  in 
certain  matters.  This  "style"  is  the  adop- 
tion of  certain  forms  with  regard  to  abbre- 
viations, capitals,  italic,  kind  of  t)'pe,  etc., 
in  order  to  maintain  uniformity. 

Proof  Reader's  Marks— \5%^^  to  indicate  re- 
quired corrections  in  tj'pe.  The  following 
is  a  list  of  proof  reader's  marks  in  common 
use.  An  example  of  their  use  is  shown  on 
page  230. 

C'  Dele ;  take  out.  (See  note  below.) 

0)  Tum  inverted  letter  right  side  up. 

xlsJ  Let  it  stand  :  change  made  was  wrong. 

^  Take  out  character  and  close  up. 

X  Change  imperfect  letter. 

Q  Period. 

r-|  Em-quad,  for  indention,  etc. 

^/  Apostrophe. 

y^  Or-  j/    Comma. 


Dbi.b,  inifierattve  sing,  of  L.  dfiere  to  destroy.  [Cf.  DblbtbI. 
(Print!)  Erase;  remove;  —  a  direction  to  cancel  something 
which  has  been  nut  in  type  ;  usually  expressed  by  a  peculiar 
fomi  of  d. — IVeosier's  Dictionary. 


of  Technical  Terms        227 


^ 

Space. 

A 

Caret ;  indicates  where  to  insert. 

/■/  "^  ^ 

Hyphen. 

■>,   ,'       y 

No  paragraph  ;  run  in. 

-^Z 

Wrong  font  —  size  or  style  of  type. 

Transpose. 

i ;  L  .  Use  roman  lette 

LiJ  Use  italic. 


9 


-(f     '^  (  '  I     Q^fi"?  ;  word,  spelling,  etc.,  in  doubt. 

(_  J.  Use  lower-case  letter. 

'  Move  line  or  word  to  right  or  to  left,. 

^  y  /  Take  out  lead. 

/v,  "y     caiirj,-4ii^       When  omitted'words  cannot  be  conven- 
^^T^—  ^'-^  ^^^tj       iently  written  in  the  margin. 

(^i^y    i  3J        Signs  or  abbreviations  ringed  in  copy  should 
be  spelled  out. 

t^ i- 1^ l^ l^  (^r  eg.-fk      Make  spacing  of  words  uniform. 
_  or   J^         Push  down  space,  quad,  etc. 
Straighten  up  ends  of  lines. 


228    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

;^^        Cl"se  up. 

I                    I     Raise  word,  line.  etc. 
I I     Lower  word,  or  line,  etc. 

Cap.  I'se  capital  letter. 

stn.cap.  or  s.  c.    Use  .s.mai.l  capitals 

=  Three  lines  under  words  signify  CAPITALS. 

=^  Two  lines  signify  small  capitals. 

One  line  signifies  italics. 

v^^^-^-^^^~--v  Use  heavy-face  type. 

Ji  Use  ligature  (fi,  ff,  tl,  ffi,  ffl,  etc.) 

Proof  Sheet  —  A  printer's  proof. 

Proof  in  Slips  —  That  is,  as  the  matter  is  on 
the  galley,  before  it  is  made  up  into  pages. 

Publish  —  To  make  known  publicly:  to  put 
forth  ;  to  issue  ;  as  a  newspaper,  magazine, 
book,  etc.  A  publisher  is  usually  under- 
stood as  one  who  makes  and  sells  printed 
matter  at  first-hand.  He  need  not  be  a 
printer,  engraver,  or  binder,  but  many  pub- 
lishers carry  on  their  own  printing,  bind- 
ing, or  engraving  rooms,  while  others  hire 
one  or  all  these  operations  done  outside. 
Printing  is  the  manufacture  and  publish- 
ing is  the  selling  of  printed  matter. 


of  Technical  Terms        229 

Pull  a  Proof— ^o  take  a  proof  ;  originally,  to 
pull  over  the  bar  of  a  hand  press  and  take 
an  impression,    ^te.  Proof . 

Pull-Out — Types  which  have  been  pulled  out 
by  the  suction  of  inking  rollers  on  the  press. 
Pull-outs  are  due  to  faulty  workmanship  in 
justifying  and  locking  up,  or  they  may  be 
laid  to  the  pressman  who  unlocks  a  form 
on  the  press  for  the  purpose  of  planing 
down,  changing  register,  etc.,  and  does  not 
relock  the  form  so  as  to  hold  all  the  type 
in  place. 

Pu/pBoard~^\\&.,  thick  cardboard  of  cheap 
grade,  made  of  wood  pulp  rolled  into 
sheets,  as  distinguished  from  pasteboard, 
which  is  formed  by  pasting  sheets  of  card 
and  paper  together  ;  used  for  box-making, 
book  covers,  etc. 

Punch— \n  type  founding,  an  original  die  of 
the  letter  or  character  to  be  cast.  The  let- 
ter is  cut  on  the  end  of  a  small  bar  of  soft 
steel,  which  is  afterwards  hardened  and 
becomes  the  punch.  This  punch  is  used 
to  drive  an  impression  into  a  bar  of  copper, 
which  in  turn  becomes, a  iii/atrix-tcrbe  used 
for  casting  the  face-0f  tM  type.  See  Type 
Founding. 

Punching  Machine  —  For  punching  holes  of 
various  sizes  and  shapes  in  cards,  signs, 
pamphlets,  etc.  They  are  made  in  sev- 
eral styles,  operated  by  a  hand  lever,  by 
foot  treadle,  or  by  mechanical  power. 


;o    The  Printer's  Dictionary 


Shcnving  use  of  Proof  Reader  s  Marks 

CayU.    THE  SCHOOL  /  PRINTING— 3    CsmOl^ 
rtn  ca^i.  [^^The  School  of  Pr^^^tinc  «is  established  in 
f/  January,  igooby  the  North  End  Union,  under 


,       printers  of  Boston.    It  has  had  t^emonstrate      ^|fe 
r-tjU,uXU    its  purpose  in  practicaLan^  is  gradually  being     ^ 
^    recognized  by  those  wlio  relize  the  important    o./, 
^STyy^atLC  ngjj  („  ,i,g  ,,^^5  of  ajnethod  of  ^e^hnicil  in-       ^-  C*^ 
struction. 
OiJ).  Theaimof  the  ^chool  is  to  give  fundamental  /• 

jj    and  generaljinstruction  in  prij<ting-ofRce  work.    '*^ 

^^~ ^      and  to  offer  young  men  entering  the  trade  an 

/cu7"-^^j      opportunity  to  learn  the  tj.ings  which  are  be-     r«-v^ 
\^V^5' 111  Ccomingeach  year  more  and  more  difficult  for<^  X^  . 
'     the  apprentice  to  obtain  in  the  restricted  and       ^^  ^*« 
specialized  conditions  of  the  modern  workshop. 
Q     Cr{^    ^he  course^tudy  en2)races  book^ommercial^O     7 ,   V 
and  advertising  composition,  and  platen  press- 
CbCh    work.  The  School  is  cuBpHqd  withhand^veral    <r*^    !^' 


#=•      job  presses,  romaiund  display  tvjjes  of^ various         '' 
Cv      stylcs.^and ''the  ^usualTumiture^nd  material  bl    »  •^•' 
V       a  modern  printing  ofTi/cejThe  School  is  con-       (\ 
—       tinuous  and  pupils  may  enter  at  any  ••»¥-time.      t- 

The  hours  are  identical  with  those  of  a  regular 
■  -h      workshop,  from  740  a.mIo  545  p.m.,  excepting    O 
Saturday  afternoon. 

The  tuition  fee  for  one  )'ear  is  $ioa  Appli- 
cants must  be  sixteen  years  of  age  or  over. 

Further  information  may  be  obtained  by  ad- 
dressing Samuel  F.  Hubbard.  20  Parmenter    *>-^   e-^. 
Street.  Boston.  \.^uj^j„:.,^ 


[For  explanation  of  the  above  marks  sec  papes  220-^.] 


of  Technical  Terms         231 


The  Corrected  Proof 


THE  SCHOOL  OF  PRINTING 
The  School  op  Printing  was  established  in 
January,  igoo,  by  the  North  End  Union,  under 
the  supervision  of  a  number  of  leading  master 
printers  of  Boston.  It  has  had  to  demonstrate 
its  purpose  in  practical  results  and  is  gradually 
being  recognized  by  those  who  realize  the  im- 
portant need  in  the  trade  of  a  systematic  method 
of  technical  instruction. 

The  aim  of  the  School  is  to  give  fundamental 
and  general  instruction  in  printing-office  work, 
and  to  offer  young  men  entering  the  trade  an 
opportunity,  through  a  system  of  indentured 
apprenticeship,  to  learn  the  things  which  are 
becoming  each  year  more  and  more  difficult  for 
the  apprentice  to  obtain  in  the  restricted  and 
specialized  conditions  of  the  modem  workshop. 

The  course  of  study  embraces  book,  commer- 
cial, and  advertising  composition,  and  platen 
press-work.  The  School  is  supplied  with  one 
hand-press  and  several  job  presses,  ronian  and 
display  types  of  various  styles,  and  the  usual 
furniture  and  material  of  a  modem  printing 
office. 

The  School  is  continuous  and  pupils  may 
enter  at  any  time.  The  hours  are  identical  with 
those  of  a  regular  workshop,  from  7.40  a.m.  to 
5.45  P.M.,  excepting  Saturday  afternoon. 

The  tuition  fee  for  one  year  is  Sioo.  Appli- 
cants must  be  sixteen  years  of  age  or  over. 

Further  information  may  be  obtained  by  ad- 
dressing Samuel  F.  Hubbard,  Superhttetid- 
eni,  20  Parmenter  Street,  Boston. 


232     The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Punch  Press  —  A  small  machine  for  punching 
holes  in  cards,  paper,  etc.,  operated  by  a 
hand  lever  or  treadle. 

Pimciuation  ~T\\Q  division  of  sentences  and 
parts  of  sentences  in  composition  by  pecu- 
liar marks  or  points  (see  p.  233).  "  Close  " 
punctuation  is  characterized  by  the  use  of 
many  points,  especially  the  comma,  and 
was  formerly  the  common  practice.  This 
method  often  meant  the  insertion  of  points 
in  places  where  they  were  not  necessar}-. 
"  Open  "  punctuation  is  now  the  more 
common  practice,  and  means  the  consist- 
ent omission  of  points  in  all  places  where 
they  are  not  required  to  make  the  sense 
clear  and  unmistakable.  Modern  prac- 
tice omits  punctuation  marks  in  book  title 
pages  and  in  certain  legal  papers,  as  well 
as  at  the  ends  of  headlines  and  lines  in 
advertising  and  bold  display.  A  useful 
treatise  on  this  subject,  as  it  relates  to  the 
compositor,  is  Mr.  Theodore  L.  DeVinne's 
"Correct  Composition,"  chapter  15. 

Punctuation  Marks— Cen:ar\  marks  and  signs 
used  in  such  places  in  language  composi- 
tion as  to  bring  out  the  sense  clearly.  They 
are  guides  chietiy  for  the  eye  in  reading, 
and,  although  many  of  them  are  generally 
used  in  accordance  with  well  defined  rules, 
there  are  greatly  divergent  opinions  and 
practices  in  vogue,  which  make  the  study 
of  their  proper  use  a  difficult  one  for  the 


of  Technical  Terms        233 

young  compositor.  The  modern  system  of 
punctuation  was  developed  after  the  inven- 
tion of  typography,  primarily  by  Aldus 
Manutius  and  his  family,  learned  printers 
of  Venice,  during  the  sixteenth  century. 
Old  manuscripts,  dating  as  far  back  as  the 
third  century,  are  written  entirely  in  cap- 
itals, without  spacing  between  the  words 
and  without  marks  of  punctuation.  Later, 
words  were  separated  by  spaces  and  the 
sentences  were  indicated;  then  parts  of  a 
sentence  were  pointed  oflf  by  a  slanting 
stroke,  thus  /,  called  a  virgule,  which  later 
developed  into  the  comma. 
Following  is  a  list  of  punctuation  marks 
in  common  use,  together  with  other  signs 
used  to  indicate  correct  pronunciation,  etc., 
and  to  otherwise  assist  in  making  compo- 
sition clear  and  understandable. 
,    Comma.  ••  Diseresis.  (a) 

;    Semicolon.  6  Cedilla.  (Q) 

:    Colon.  '^    Caret. 

.    Period.  •♦  "  Quotation  marks. 

-  Dash.  (    )   o 
Two-em  dash.           |    \  ^'■^"^- 

?  Interrogation.  ***  Ellipsis. 

I    Exclamation.  .  .  .  Ellipsis ;  also 
{  )  Parentheses.  leaders. 

[  ]  Brackets.  *   Asterisk. 

*    Apostrophe.  t    Dagger  or  obelisk. 

-  Hyphen.  %    Double  dagger. 
/    Acute  accent,  (e)  §   Section. 

^  Grave  accent,  (a)  ||    Parallels. 

A   Circumflex  accent,  (e)  \  Paragraph. 

"^  Circumflex  or  tilde,  (n)  S^="  Index. 

-  Long  or  macron,  (a)  %*  or  ^^^  Asterism. 
o    Short  or  breve,  (e) 


234    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Pyramid  Heading — A  display  heading  set  in 
half-diamond  or  inverted  pyramid  form, 
the  top  line  being  longest  and  succeeding; 
lines  gradually  shortened  ;  used  in  news- 
paper and  similar  work. 

0^^^-^—Czst  metal  blanks,  wider  than  the 
three-to-em  space,  used  to  fill  the  larger 
white  spaces  in  lines,  such  as  to  indent  the 
first  line  and  to  fill  out  the  last  line  of  a 
paragraph.  The  orginal  term  was  quadrats 
(that  is,  a  square,  or  with  four  equal  sides ) . 
but  the  shorter  term  is  commonly  used 
among  printers.  Quads  are  necessary- 
parts  of  every  font  of  type,  and  are  made 
in  sizes  to  accompany  all  type-bodies. 
There  are  generally  four  forms :  en,  em, 
two-em,  and  three-em.  The  en  quad  is 
half  the  square  of  any  given  size  of  type- 
body  (|)  ;  it  is  really  a  thick  space  and  is 
commonly  used  as  such,  being  next  wider 
than  the  three-to-em.  The  em  quad  is  a 
square  of  the  type-body  {^^  and  is  the 
usual  blank  to  put  at  the  commencement  of 
paragraphs  in  ordinary  reading  matter, 
unless  the  lines  are  very  long,  in  which 
case  the  indention  may  be  two  or  even 
three  ems.  For  wide  blanks  two-em  quads 
(HH)  and  three-em  quads  (jj^^H)  ^r^ 
provided.  Quads  are  cast  high  or  low,  to 
match  the  spaces  of  a  font  of  type.  See 
High  Spaces  and  Quads,  Lcnv  Spaas  and 
Quads,  Spaces. 


of  Technical  Terms        235 

Quad  Box — The  lowest  right  hand  corner 
apartment  in  the  ordinary  lower-case.  It 
holds  the  two-em  and  three-em  quads  — 
and  when  a  careless,  untidy  "slob  comp" 
gets  at  the  case  for  a  short  time  it  also 
contains  a  miscellaneous  assortment  of 
pi  and  de'bris  which  he  is  too  lazy  to  put  in 
their  proper  places.  Keep  the  quad  box, 
as  well  as  every  other  box  in  your  case, 
in  good  order. 

Quadri-color — A  name  given  to  a  process  of 
plate-making  for  color  printing,  using  a 
plate  for  each  of  the  three  primary  colors 
and  a  fourth  plate  for  black  ink  ;  four-color 
printing.     See  Three-color  Work. 

Quadruple — A  sheet  of  paper,  a  form,  or 
other  work  four  times  the  size  of  a  smaller 
one,  or  a  smaller  form  duplicated  to  make 
four  of  a  kind. 

Quarterly — A  publication  issued  once  every 
three  months. 

Quarter-sheet  Card —  Among  printers,  com- 
monly understood  as  one  quarter  of  the 
size  22  X  28  inches,  which  is  a  standard 
size  of  many  kinds  of  cardboard.  Quarter- 
sheet  is  a  convenient  size  for  window  signs, 
small  placards,  etc. 

Quartertone — A  term  sometimes  applied  to 
coarse  halftones  made  on  zinc  for  news- 
paper work ;  65  lines  or  less  to  an  inch ; 
a  newspaper  halftone. 


236    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Quaternions — Sheets  of  two  leaves,  or  four 
pages,  nested  together  to  form  a  pamphlet 
or  section  of  a  book 

Quarto  —  A  sheet  of  paper  (approximately 
18x24  inches,  or  the  size  known  as  medi- 
um) folded  twice,  making  four  leaves,  or 
eight  pages.  Regular  quarto  is  this  size 
folded  in  cross  sections,  making  the  leaf 
12  X  9  inches;  long  quarto  is  the  sheet 
folded  twice  in  the  same  direction.  Other 
quartos  are  demy  quarto  (8x10 1^  inches), 
cap  quarto  (7x8^^  inches),  royal  quarto 
(9^x12  inches),  etc.  A  size  of  book  in 
which  the  leaf  is  quarto.  In  publishers'  no- 
tices quarto  is  often  abbreviated  to  ^.to. 
See  Folio,  also  Octavo. 

Quarto  or  Quarter  Medium  —  A  size  of  press 
(about  10x15  inches)  large  enough  to 
print  a  quarto  page.  A  half  medium  press 
is  one  which  will  take  a  half  sheet  of 
medium  paper  (18x24  inches),  and  an 
eighth  medium  press  (about,  7x11  inches) 
one  which  will  print  a  sheet  one  eighth  of 
medium.  These  terms  are  not  now  so 
common  as  formerly,  as  they  are  not  pre- 
cise enough  to  designate  the  many  varia- 
tions in  sizes  of  machines  now  made  ;  the 
more  accurate  custom  is  to  state  the  actual 
sizes  in  inches. 

Quill — A  large,  strong  feather  of  a  goose, 
swan,  or  other  bird,  made  into  a  pen  for 
writing,  before  the  invention  of  steel  pens  : 
hence,  symbol  of  pen  or  writing  instrument. 


of  Technical  Terms 


Quarto  Galley — A  galley  about  ioxt6  inches, 
or  wide  enough  to  hold  quarto  pages. 

Query — That  is,  inquire  further,  look  this 
up  ;  used  as  a  marginal  note  in  copy  or 
on  proofs,  to  call  attention  to  some  matter 
in  doubt.  Sometimes  represented  by  the 
question  mark  (?)  or  by  Qy.,  qy.,  Qu.,  qu. 
To  query  is  to  mark  with  a  query. 

Question  Mark  [?] — The  interrogation  point. 
The  apprentice  should  notice  that  this 
point  and  the  exclamation  mark  always 
require  a  thin  space  to  separate  them  from 
the  preceding  word,  unless  the  point  is  cast 
with  a  shoulder  on  the  side.  They  should 
also  be  separated  from  the  following  word 
by  a  thick  space  or  two  spaces.  Bad?  Of 
course  it  is!    Better?    Do  it  right! 

Quire — Twenty -four  sheets  of  paper,  or  one 
twentieth  of  a  ream  of  480  sheets ;  if  the 
ream  consists  of  500  sheets,  as  it  often 
does  now,  the  quire  is  twenty-five  sheets. 
Originally,  a  set  of  four  sheets  of  parch- 
ment or  paper  folded  so  as  to  make  eight 
leaves,  the  ordinary'  unit  of  construction 
for  early  manuscripts  and  books.  Formerly 
all  paper  came  from  the  mill  folded  in 
quires  or  fractions  of  a  quire,  as  boxed 
writing  paper  is  now  sold  by  stationers. 
To  quire  paper  is  to  fold  it  in  quires  or  parts 
of  a  quire.  A  book  in  separate  sheets  or 
signatures,  not  sewed  or  bound,  is  said  to 
be  in  quires.  See  Ream. 


238    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Quimvise — A  booklet  or  pamphlet  imposed 
so  that  the  folded  sheets  will  nest  or  fit 
into  each  other  in  one  section  and  the 
work  may  be  saddle-stitched  ;  in  distinc- 
tion from  single  or  folded  sheets  that 
are  placed  side  by  side  and  must  be  side- 
stitched  or  sewed.  To  print  on  the  first 
and  third  pages  of  a  sheet,  so  that  a  num- 
ber of  sheets  may  be  folded  together  and 
stitched  through  the  middle. 

Quoins —  Small  wedges  used  for  locking  up 
forms  ;  made  of  hard  wood  and  also  of 
iron,  in  several  varieties.  The  old  style 
quoins  were  small  pieces  of  wood,  and 
were  driven  up  with  mallet  and  shooting- 
stick  between  the  chase  or  strip  of  furni- 
ture and  a  beveled  stick;  the  gradual 
driving  up  of  the  quoins  locked  the  form 
until  it  was  tight  enough  to  lift.  This 
method  of  locking  up  has  been  generally 
superseded  by  the  use  of  iron  quoins  and 
other  devices  which  serve  the  purpose 
with  less  trouble  in  shorter  time  and  with 
greater  accuracy.  Two  familar  styles  of 
these  mechanical  quoins  are  known  as  the 
Hempel  (see  Hempcl  Quoin)  and  the 
Wickersham  (see  IVickersham  Quoin).  In 
daily  newspaper  offices  the  forms  are 
locked  up  by  means  of  steel  beveled 
sticks  and  screws  fitted  into  the  sides  of 
the  chase  ;  these  may  be  operated  very 
quickly  by  the  use  of  a  wrench. 


of  Technical  Terms       239 

Quoin  Key — The  T-shaped  piece  of  iron  used 
to  operate  metal  quoins  in  locking  forms. 

Quotation — An  expression,  a  statement,  or  a 
passage  repeated  as  the  utterance  of  some 
other  writer  or  speaker.  It  is  usually,  but 
not  always,  enclosed  in  quotation  marks. 
(See  Quote  Marks.)  In  composing  room 
parlance  pieces  of  a  kind  of  hollow  metal 
furniture  are  known  as  quotations  ;  more 
exactly  Quotation  Furniture.  See  Furfiiture. 

Quoted  Matter — That  which  is  enclosed  with 
quote  marks. 

Quote  Marks,  or  Quotes  [**  "]  —  Brief  terms 
for  quotation  marks,  used  at  the  beginning 
and  ending  of  quotations.  In  English  com- 
position these  are  commonly  two  turned 
commas  at  the  beginning  and  two  apos- 
trophes at  the  end.  In  reading  proof,  the 
copy  holder  who  reads  aloud  usually  terms 
the  first  as  "commence  quote'"  or  simply 
"quote,"  and  the  other  as  "close  quote." 

R,ACK — A  frame-work  for  holding  cases, 
letter  boards,  etc. 

Rag  Paper —  Made  from  linen  or  cotton  rags ; 
the  better  classes  of  paper  are  made  from 
linen  rags.  See  Paper. 

Ramage  Press — An  old-time  hand  press,  first 
made  of  wood  entirely,  but  later  made  of 
iron,  by  Adam  Ramage  of  Philadelphia, 
about  the  first  of  the  last  century;  said  to 
be  the  first  press  made  in  this  country. 


240    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Ratchet—  A  small  instrument  for  turning  the 
screws  of  patent  blocks  or  electro  bases 

Reader — Sometimes  applied  to  the  proof 
reader.  In  this  country,  the  person  who 
reads  manuscript  and  other  copy  sent  in  for 
publication.  Publishing  houses  now  have 
many  such  literary  readers  to  whom  new 
works  are  submitted  for  examination  be- 
fore printing.  An  advertisement  in  the 
form  of  ordinary  reading  matter  similar 
to  the  regular  text  of  a  newspaper  or  peri- 
odical is  also  know  as  a  reader;  a  brief  ad- 
vertisement of  this  kind  is  a  reading  notice. 

Reader's  Marks — The  proof  reader's  marks 
on  a  proof,  in  distinction  from  author's 
marks  or  corrections,  making  changes 
from  original  copy. 

Reading  for  the  Press— Vxooi  reading;  more 
specifically,  reading  final  proofs  before 
printing. 

Ream — There  is  much  confusion  in  the  paper 
and  printing  industries  because  of  the 
variation  in  the  number  of  sheets  of  paper 
which  make  a  ream.  At  present  a  ream 
may  be  from  472  to  516  sheets,  accord- 
ing to  the  class  of  paper.  Heretofore  the 
common  ream  of  writing  or  printing  paper 
has  contained  480  sheets,  but  there  is  a 
growing  practice  to  make  it  500  sheets, 
and  many  kinds  of  printing  paper  are  now 
measured  in  this  manner. 


of  Technical  Terms        241 

Recipe  Mark  —  The  apothecary  or  medical 
sign  R,  used  at  the  beginning  of  pre- 
scriptions.    (Latin  recipe,  to  take.) 

Record  Type — The  peculiar  letters,  signs,  ac- 
cents, etc.,  used  in  reprinting  with  exact- 
ness old  books,  records,  and  documents. 

Recto  —  The  first  page  of  a  leaf,  or  the  right 
hand  page  of  a  pair,  1,3,5,  ^^c  The  other 
side,  2,  4,  6,  etc.,  is  verso. 

Re-efigrave — To  finish  an  engraved  plate,  like 
a  halftone,  by  going  over  it  with  engraver's 
tools ;  an  operation  requiring  great  skill. 

Re-etch  —  In  the  engraver's  work,  to  give  a 
plate,  in  whole  or  in  part,  a  second  acid 
bath  for  the  purpose  of  further  etching  ; 
this  is  often  done  by  brushing  the  parts 
with  acid  with  a  small  hair  brush. 

Reference  Marks  —  The  signs  which  come 
with  fonts  of  roman  capitals  (asterisk  * 
dagger  t  double  dagger  %  section  §  par- 
allel II  paragraph  1[ )  have  been  the  com- 
mon marks  to  refer  to  foot-notes  in  book 
pages,  and  they  serve  the  purpose  when 
used  only  occasionally;  but  when  many 
references  occur  on  one  page  the  charac- 
ters are  clumsy  and  objectionable.  Supe- 
rior figures^  and  letters^'  are  now  more 
often  used  ;  they  are  neater  and  permit 
of  any  number  being  used  without  repeti- 
tion or  confusion.  Superior  figures  and 
letters  are  made  by  type  foundries  for  all 


242    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

the  usual  sizes  of  book-type,  but  when 
these  are  not  at  hand  the  compositor  may 
improvise  them  by  justifying  small  size 
types  into  the  line.  In  a  ten-point  line, 
for  instance,  a  figure  and  an  en-quad  of 
six-point,  with  two  six-point  three-to-em 
spaces  placed  sideways  below,  will  justify 
accurately  and  quickly. 

Register — To  adjust  the  pages  of  a  form  so 
that  they  will  print  exactly  on  the  back  of 
those  printed  on  the  first  side ;  to  impose 
a  form  or  to  fix  the  gauges  on  the  press  so 
that  the  pages,  when  printed  back  to  back 
on  the  sheet,  will  strike  in  the  proper 
places.  To  print  two  or  more  colors  be- 
side each  other,  or  one  over  the  other,  so 
that  they  will  print  in  their  proper  places. 

Register  Sheets  —  Special  or  extra  sheets  used 
as  guides  for  registering  a  second  or  sub- 
sequent form  of  a  work.  When  a  sheet  is 
to  be  printed  with  more  than  one  form, 
as  for  colors,  or  to  be  backed  up  sheet- 
wise,  there  should  always  be  some  extra 
sheets  printed  on  the  first  form,  to  be  used 
in  registering  the  other  forms. 

Reglet —  Thin  strips  of  wood  similar  to  leads, 
only  larger ;  they  are  used  in  posters  and 
other  large  work  where  metal  would  be 
cumbersome. 

Reiteration  —  The  printing  on  the  back  of  a 
sheet  already  printed  ;  printing  the  second 
side.    A  term  now  rarely  used. 


of  Technical  Terms         243 

Relief  Printing —  That  done  from  raised  sur- 
faces, like  type,  wood  cuts,  zinc  and  half- 
tone plates ;  in  distinction  from  intaglio 
work,  such  as  copper  and  steel  plates,  or 
from  lithography,  which  is  chemical  print- 
ing from  fiat  surfaces. 

Religious  Signs  —  The  cross  f  and  maltese 
cross  *h  ;  versicle  ^ ;  response  I^' ;  and 
other  signs  used  in  prayer  books,  church 
rituals,  etc. 

Reporter —  One  who  gathers  news  and  writes 
for  a  newspaper. 

Reprint — Copy  for  a  book  or  other  work 
which  has  already  been  printed,  in  dis- 
tinction from  written  manuscript.  A  sec- 
ond or  new  printing  of  a  work.  Reprint 
copy  is,  naturally,  easier  to  handle  than 
manuscript,  on  account  of  its  legibility.  A 
reprint  of  a  work  may  be  done  in  different 
type  and  style  than  the  original ;  when  an 
exact  reprint  is  meant  it  is  fac  simile. 

Retouch  —  To  go  over,  with  brush  or  pen,  a 
drawing,  photograph,  or  other  copy  which 
is  to  be  engraved,  and  touch  up  important 
details  or  tone  down  unimportant  or  use- 
less parts ;  to  prepare  imperfect  copy  for 
making  a  good  engraving. 

Revise — A  proof  taken  after  corrections  have 
been  made ;  to  compare  a  proof  so  taken 
with  the  one  on  which  errors  are  marked, 
to  see  if  corrections  are  properly  made. 
See  Proof. 


244    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Rifig-mark  —  Changes  from  original  copy  are 
marked  on  proofs  by  drawing  a  circle 
around  them;  these  changes  may  be  made 
by  the  proof  reader  or  author,  and  are  not 
chargeable  to  the  compositor.  If  the  com- 
positor is  on  piece-work,  he  is  paid  extra 
for  ring-mark  corrections.  A  circle  or  ring 
drawn  around  an  abbreviation,  sign,  etc., 
in  copy  is  a  direction  that  the  word  should 
be  spelled  in  full. 

Rise — A  form  is  said  to  rise  when  it  may  be 
lifted  from  the  imposing  stone  without 
letters  dropping  out.  A  form  locked  too 
tightly,  or  imperfectly  justified,  in  which 
quads,  leads,  furniture,  etc.,  work  up  to  the 
the  level  of  the  type  and  show  on  the  sheet, 
is  also  said  to  rise,  or  work  up. 

Roller  —  A  metal  rod  covered  with  an  elastic 
composition,  used  to  spread  ink  over  the 
type  or  other  printing  surface.  The  early 
method  of  spreading  ink  on  the  form  was 
with  balls,  which  were  small  round  cush- 
ions, covered  with  soft  leather  and  stuffed 
with  wool.  These  had  handles  and  were 
used  in  pairs;  a  dab  of  ink  was  placed  on 
one,  and  by  beating  them  together  it  was 
spread  on  their  surfaces,  and  afterward 
dabbed  on  the  printing  form.  The  inven- 
tion of  inking  rollers  was  contemporaneous 
with  that  of  the  cylinder  press  (1814). 
The  first  rollers  were  covered  with  buck- 
skin or  a  similiar  leather,  but  were  not  sue- 


of  Technical  Terms        245 

cessful ;  afterward  a  composition  of  glue 
and  molasses  was  used.  This  composition 
was  first*  employed  in  the  potteries  of 
Staffordshire,  England,  to  put  designs  on 
dishes  with  irregular  surfaces.  An  elastic 
material,  which  easily  took  up  ink  and  as 
readily  deposited  it  again,  was  peculiarly 
adapted  to  the  printer's  use.  The  early 
rollers  of  this  modern  stj'le  were  made  of 
glue  and  molasses  only,  a  mixture  which 
possessed  the  peculiar  tackiness  that  was 
required ;  but  they  were  expensive,  be- 
cause they  were  short-lived — a  few  weeks 
at  the  most,  under  favorable  weather  con- 
ditions. Then  glycerin  was  added  to  the 
composition,  and  the  quality  of  durability 
was  given  to  the  roller.  Glue-and-molasses 
rollers  dried  and  shrunk  rapidly  and  a  dry, 
glassy  skin  formed  on  the  surface  in  a  few 
days ;  this  tendency  was  overcome  by 
using  glycerin.  The  peculiar  qualities  of 
glycerin  are  that  it  does  not  evaporate 
and  does  not  freeze  at  any  temperature, 
and  consequently  heat  and  cold  have  little 
effect  upon  its  consistency,  so  that  rollers 
in  which  it  is  used  are  less  affected  by  varia- 
tions in  the  temperature;  glycerin  also  has 
a  strong  attraction  for  moisture  and  will 
increase  in  weight  if  exposed  to  damp  air. 
It  is  this  last  quality  of  glycerin  that  is  the 
cause  of  most  of  the  pressroom  troubles 
with  rollers,  especially  in  warm,  damp 
weather,  as  it  is  then  the  rollers  become 


246   The  Printer's  Dictionary 

"green,"  or  soft  and  watery,  so  that  they 
will  not  take  up  the  ink  from  the  distribut- 
ing surface  and  carry  it  to  the  depositing 
surface.  Rollers  are  now  made  by  many 
different  formulas.  Their  manufacture  has 
become  a  specialized  branch  of  the  print- 
ing industry,  and  each  maker  produces 
them  according  to  formulas  that  are  tht- 
result  of  much  experiment  with  new  sub- 
stances and  methods,  so  that  the  exact 
composition  of  a  modern  roller  is  a  good 
deal  of  a  trade  secret. 
In  brief,  a  roller  is  made  by  first  having 
a  metal  rod,  or  core,  placed  in  the  center 
of  a  cylindrical  mould,  the  inside  of 
which  is  polished  and  oiled.  In  order 
that  the  composition  may  hold  firmly 
on  the  core,  the  rod  is  painted  and  wound 
with  strong  twine  ;  in  the  case  of  large- 
rollers  for  cylinder  presses,  the  iron  rod 
is  covered  with  a  wooden  sheath  to  enlarge 
its  size,  and  this  is  then  wound  with  a 
cord.  The  core  being  placed  in  the  mould 
and  held  by  end-pieces  to  keep  it  in  the 
exact  center,  both  are  then  slightly  warmed 
and  the  melted  composition  poured  in, 
and  the  whole  allowed  to  cool.  The  warm- 
ing of  the  mould  is  important,  as,  if  it  were 
cold,  the  hot  composition  will  suddenly 
chill  against  the  cold  iron  and  leave  streaks 
in  the  face  of  the  roller.  The  old  hand- 
method  was  to  cast  rollers  one  at  a  time, 
and  to  pour  the  composition  in  at  the  top. 


of  Technical  Terms      247 

This  method  is  still  in  employed  in  a 
limited  way,  but  the  modern  roller  maker, 
who  casts  them  in  wholesale  quantities, 
has  his  moulds  arranged  in  groups,  in  a 
large  steel  barrel,  called  the  "gatling" 
method.  He  also  avoids  air  bubbles  and 
other  imperfections  by  pumping  the  com- 
position into  the  bottom  of  the  mould 
until  it  is  filled  to  the  top. 
After  a  roller  is  made  it  is  not  ready  for 
use  until  it  is  seasoned;  this  is  to  expose  it 
to  the  air  long  enough  to  give  it  a  certain 
toughness  to  withstand  the  pull  and  strain 
it  will  undergo  in  operation  on  the  press. 
Upon  the  care  and  good  judgment  in 
seasoning  a  roller  will  depend  its  working 
qualities  and  its  life,  and  only  experience, 
coupled  with  close  observation,  will  teach 
a  person  how  to  properly  season  a  roller. 
The  time  required  to  season  a  new  roller 
may  be  from  one  day  to  two  weeks ;  it 
depends  on  the  weather  or  the  condition 
of  the  atmosphere  around  the  roller.  Sea- 
soning will  occur  quicker  in  dr^'  weather 
than  damp  weather,  and  quicker  in  winter 
than  in  summer.  The  degree  of  seasoning 
required  often  depends  on  the  kind  of 
work  for  which  the  roller  is  used;  stiff 
inks  will  need  tougher  rollers  than  may  be 
used  for  soft  inks;  slow  presses  may  safely 
have  softer  rollers  than  those  running  at 
high  speed.  After  rollers  are  properly  sea- 
soned, the  seasoning  should  not  be  pro- 


248    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

longed ;  it  is  then  well  to  put  them  into  use, 
and  if  not  in  use  to  cover  them  with  soft 
ink  or  ink  mixed  with  oil,  and  to  keep  them 
covered  this  way  as  much  as  possible, 
especially  if  they  stay  in  a  warm  room. 
This  seasoning  and  preserving  of  ink- 
ing rollers  is  one  of  the  most  important 
problems  of  the  pressroom.  Neglect  to 
care  for  them  promptly  may  mean  speedy 
ruin  of  the  best  rollers.  Ink  should  not  be 
left  to  dry  hard  on  them,  especially  if  they 
are  new,  or  nearly  so;  to  clean  off  ink  in 
this  condition  will  injure  the  face,  either 
by  roughening  it  with  the  hard  rubbing 
required,  or  because  of  the  strong  washing 
fluid  needed  to  loosen  the  ink.  A  good 
practice  is  to  let  soft,  slow-drying  ink  stay 
on  the  rollers  over  night ;  or  if  the  ink  is 
stiff  and  will  probably  dry  hard  before  the 
rollers  are  used  again,  to  pour  some  com- 
mon machine  oil  on  them  and  run  the  press 
for  a  few  revolutions,  then  let  this  ink  and 
oil  stay  on  till  the  rollers  are  used  again. 
When  quick-drying  or  colored  ink  is  used, 
common  oil  may  not  prevent  it  from  dry- 
ing hard,  especially  over  Sunday;  in  this 
case,  it  is  better  to  wash  the  ink  off  clean 
and  then  cover  the  rollers  with  oil,  or  set 
them  in  a  box  or  closet  where  they  will 
keep  cool  and  slightly  moist.  A  shallow 
pan  of  water  in  the  bottom  of  a  roller  box 
is  often  used  to  preserve  extra  rollers  that 
are  not  in  regular  service. 


of  Technical  Terms        249 

A  good  time  to  wash  rollers  is  just  before 
they  are  to  be  used  or  before  putting  fresh 
ink  on.  Cleaning  should  be  done  care- 
fully and  thoroughly  each  time,  and  no 
specks  of  old  ink  allowed  to  remain  to  ad- 
here just  because  they  do  not  come  off  as 
readily  as  the  softer  ink.  Specks  left  after 
careless  washing,  and  allowed  to  remain 
for  a  day  or  two  under  fresh  ink,  will  soon 
adhere  so  strongly  to  the  composition  that 
they  cannot  be  cleaned  off  without  taking 
a  spot  out  of  the  surface  of  the  roller,  and 
so  ruin  it.  Rollers  that  are  used  for  col- 
ored inks  require  especial  care  to  keep 
their  surfaces  from  cuts,  cracks,  and  pin- 
holes, because  in  these  places  old  ink  will 
lodge  and  cannot  be  thoroughly  cleaned 
out,  but  will  remain  to  work  out  later  into 
the  next  color  that  is  used.  For  light  colors 
and  tints  of  ink,  rollers  with  perfect  sur- 
faces are  imperative. 

Roller  Composition — The  substance  of  which 
printers'  rollers  are  made ;  glue,  sugar, 
glycerin,  etc.,  melted  together  ;  when  cool 
it  makes  a  stiff,  jelly-like  mass. 

Roller  Mould —  A  long  metal  tube,  used  for 
casting  rollers  ;  of  steel  or  brass  tubing. 

Roller  Stock — The  core  of  a  roller,  on  which 
the  composition  is  cast. 

Rolling  Up  —  To  spread  ink  on  a  form  or 
engraving,  especially  with  a  hand  roller,  as 
for  a  proof,  etc. 


250  The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Ready  Prmt~-?>t&  Patent  Outside. 

Register  Pack — The  heavy  metal  strip  on  the 
side  of  the  bed  of  a  cyhnder  press,  having 
teeth  geared  to  fit  the  cog-wheel  on  the  end 
of  the  cylinder  ;  it  serves  to  keep  the  mo- 
tion of  the  bed  and  cylinder  in  unison,  or 
in  register. 

Register  Hooks — Small  clamps  or  catches  in- 
serted in  the  modern  steel  bases  upon 
which  electros  are  mounted  for  printing. 
The  hooks  hold  the  bevelled  edges  of  the 
plate.  The  hooks  are  moved  back  and 
forth  very  precisely  by  means  of  screws, 
and  the  plate  can  thus  be  quickly  regis- 
tered into  the  exact  position  desired. 

Removable  Tympan — A  recent  invention.  It 
consists  of  a  steel  frame  which  fits  snugly 
on  the  sides  of  the  platen  of  a  job  press. 
This  frame  holds  the  top-sheet  and  other 
make-ready  sheets  which  lay  on  the  iron 
platen,  and  it  can  be  taken  off  or  replaced 
intact,  in  exact  position.  Its  advantage  is 
that,  by  having  two  or  more  of  the  frames 
for  a  press,  much  idle  time  of  the  press 
may  be  saved.  By  putting  the  form  on  the 
press  and  taking  an  impression  on  this 
tympan,  both  form  and  tympan  are  then 
taken  ofT  for  finishing  the  make-ready ; 
if  it  is  necessary  to  lift  off  a  job  before  the 
run  is  finished,  the  form  and  tympan,  with 
its  make-ready,  are  removed,  and  another 
form  with  another  tympan  put  in  place. 


of  Technical  Terms        251 

and  on  its  completion  the  first  form  and  its 
tympan  replaced  in  a  short  time.  In  an 
office  with  limited  press  facilities  and  on 
rush  work  of  ordinary  grades,  the  theory 
of  a  removable  tympan  seems  of  unques- 
tioned advantage. 

Rolling  Press  —  The  style  of  press  used  for 
copperplate  and  steelplate  printing ;  the 
plate  is  rolled  under  a  O-shaped  surface 
to  make  the  impression.  Sometimes  called 
a  D-roller  press. 

Roller  Carriage — The  framework  or  appara- 
tus on  job  presses,  with  hooks,  springs, 
etc.,  which  carry  the  form  rollers  back  and 
forth  over  the  form. 

Roller  Wheels  —  The  small  collars  on  the 
ends  of  form  rollers  on  job  presses,  etc. 

Roman  Noiatioji^-The.  use  of  letters,  instead 
of  the  ordinary  Arabic  figures,  to  express 
numbers,  as  I,  II,  III,  IV,  V,  etc.  The  let- 
ters used  are  I  (representing  one),V  (five), 
X  (ten),  L  (fifty),  C  (one  hundred),  D  (five 
hundred),  M  (one  thousand).  Units  of  a 
higher  order  stand  on  the  left  of  one  of  the 
lower  order  ;  when  a  letter  of  lower  order 
stands  before  one  of  a  higher  order,  its 
value  is  subtracted ;  thus,  IV  reads  four, 
IX  nine,  XL  forty,  XC  ninety.  This  system 
of  notation  should  be  clearly  understood 
by  every  compositor,  as  its  use  is  common 
in  many  kinds  of  work. 


252   The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Roman  Type — The  common  form  of  letter 
face,  such  as  is  used  for  the  text  of  this 
book  ;  it  is  the  kind  of  letter  preferred  for 
books  and  newspapers  by  English-speak- 
ing people  and  by  the  Latin  races.  Roman 
letter  is  distinguished  from  italic,  with 
which  it  is  often  mated  ;  from  Greek,  with 
which  it  has  many  characters  in  common  ; 
and  from  black  letter  or  Old  English,  as 
well  as  from  script  or  handwriting,  etc. 
The  first  printing  from  type  was  not  done 
with  the  Roman  letters,  but  from  what  is 
known  as  black  letter,  an  imitation  of  the 
hand  work  of  the  manuscript  makers  and 
scribes  at  the  time  of  the  invention  of  type. 
Roman  letters  were  evolved  later  ;  the  cap- 
itals being  copied  from  old  Latin  lapidary 
letters,  or  those  cut  in  stone,  and  the  small 
letters  (lower-case)  first  made  in  type  about 
1465,  near  Rome  in  Italy.  These  early  let- 
ters were  later  greatly  improved  in  sym- 
metry and  used  as  a  body  letter  for  books 
by  Nicholas  Jenson  at  Venice,  about  1472, 
and  since  then  the  forms  of  Roman  types 
have  been  based,  with  numerous  variations 
and  modifications,  upon  these  early  char- 
acters. See  Majuscule,  Modern  Roman. 
Oldstyle. 

Root  Sign  —The  radical  sign  V  used  in  math- 
ematical work.  See  Mathematical  Signs. 
The  same  sign  is  often  used  typographic- 
ally as  a  check-mark  to  verify  or  call  atten- 
tion to  certain  items  in  a  list. 


of  Technical  Terms        253 

Rosette — An  ornament  or  form  having  some 
resemblance  to  a  rose,  from  the  center  of 
which  several  petal-like  parts  radiate. 

Rotary  Press — That  type  of  machine  which 
has  the  printing  surface,  as  well  the  im- 
pression surface,  on  a  cylinder,  the  two 
cylinders  moving  in  unison  while  the  sheet 
of  paper  passes  between  them  to  receive 
the  impression. 

Rounce  —  The  handle  which  moves  in  and 
out  the  bed  of  the  old  style  hand  press. 

Roughing — Treating  smooth  finished  paper, 
either  before  or  after  printing,  to  a  process 
which  roughens  the  surface  or  destroys  the 
shiny  glaze.    See  Pebble  Finish. 

Rough  Proof — A  hurried  proof,  taken  with- 
out special  care,  as  with  a  planer,  or  on 
galley  press,  hand  press,  etc. 

Routing — To  cut  out  deeper  the  blank  places 
in  a  printing  plate,  with  a  routing  machine 
or  tool. 

Royal — A  size  of  flat  writing  paper  18x24 
inches. 

Riding  Roller,  Riding  Changer,  or  Rider — An 
extra  roller  attached  to  a  press  in  such  a 
manner  that  it  rests  upon  and  revolves 
with  a  form  roller.  It  is  usually  of  steel 
and  has  a  slight  vibrating  or  zig-zag  mo- 
tion endways.  Its  purpose  is  to  give  addi- 
tional ink  distribution  on  the  form. 


254  ^  he  Printer's  Dictionary 

Rubber  Offset  Press — The  offset  press  is  a 
modern  development  of  a  method  of  print- 
ing that  has  been  known  for  some  time. 
Ahhough  the  theory  of  the  method  is  very 
simple,  its  commercial  application  has  but 
recently  been  developed,  chiefly  because 
of  the  difficulty  attendant  upon  obtaining 
a  practicable  method  of  preparing  the  off- 
set surface.  The  original  drawing  is  trans- 
ferred lithographically  to  a  thin  aluminum 
or  zinc  plate  which  is  attached  to  the  sur- 
face of  the  cylinder  A.  The  ink  impres- 
sion on  this  plate  is  offset  at  each  revolu- 
ution  on  to  a  hard  rubber  blanket  attached 
to  cylinder  B.    As  the  sheet  of  paper  is 

■OO' 

THEORY    OF   THE   OFFSET    PRESS 

fed  around  cylinder  C  the  ink  impression 
is  again  offset  from  the  rubber  blanket  to 
the  paper  sheet.  It  will  be  seen  that  the 
paper  itself  never  touches  the  metal  plate  ; 
in  this  way  there  is  less  liability,  when 
printing  halftones,  of  the  plate  tilling  up. 

Rubber  7)/6'— Cast  with  a  vulcanized  rubber 
face  mounted  on  metal  body.  This  kind 
of  type  is  not  used  in  ordinary  typogra])hic 
printing,  but  belongs  to  the  rubber  slaniii 
class  of  work.    Rubber-face  type  is  much 


of  Technical  Terms        255 

shorter  than  ordinary  metal  type,  usually 
about  one-half  inch  high,  and  when  set  in  a 
small  pallet  is  used  for  stamping  by  hand. 
Rubber  Stamps — Used  for  stamping  by  hand, 
for  a  great  variety  of  purposes.  These  are 
moulded  in  vulcanized  india  rubber  and 
mounted  for  use  in  many  ways.  In  making 
rubber  stamps,  the  copy  is  first  set  in 
metal  type  and  a  form  prepared  as  for 
stereotype  moulding ;  an  impression  is 
then  made  in  a  plastic  substance,  and  on 
this  mould  a  piece  of  sheet  rubber  is 
placed  and  both  are  then  subjected  to 
heavy  pressure  and  strong  heat  (300  de- 
grees or  thereabouts)  until  the  rubber  has 
formed  in  shape  in  the  mould.  When 
cool,  the  rubber  and  mould  are  separated, 
and  the  moulded  rubber  mounted  on  han- 
dles or  otherwise  for  use. 

Rubric— T\i2X  exceptional  part  of  a  book  or 

manuscript  which  appears  in  red  ink  —  a 

line,  word,  or  initial.  Originally  one  of  the 

directions  or  rules  printed  in  devotional 

I        or  liturgical  books  directing  the  place  or 

I        mode  of  observance,  as  in  a  prayer  book, 

j        missal,  breviary.   To  mark,  distinguish,  or 

illuminate  with  red.   (From  Latin  rubrica, 

J       a  red  earth,  or  chalk,  from  which  the  color 

I       was  originally  made.) 

I  Rubricator — One  who  puts  in  red  or  otherwise 
I       colors  initial  letters  and  other  embellish- 
ments in  books,  manuscripts,  etc. 


256    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Rubricated — Having  lines  or  spots  of  red. 

Ruby — The  name  in  England  for  the  size  of 
type  called  agate  in  America. 

Rule  —  Thin  strips  (of  brass,  usually)  type- 
high  and  varying  in  thickness  from  i -point 
to  24-point,  for  printing  straight  lines,  etc. 
See  Brass  Rule.    Hair-line  rule  , 

a  rule   i-point  or  thicker,  with  a  fine-line 

face;  dotted  line  ;  parallel  rule 

:,  two    lines   of   equal    thickness 
made  on  one  body  ;  double  rule  -. 

two  lines  of  unequal  thickness  on  one 
body.  Rule  faces  are  made  in  a  great 
variety  of  designs. 

Rule  Cutter — A  small  hand  machine,  used 
in  composing  rooms,  for  cutting  brass  rule, 
etc.  The  common  style  is  a  combination 
rule-and-lead  cutter.    See  Lead  Cutter. 

Rule  Work  —  Type  composition  in  which 
brass  rules  are  largely  used,  such  as  col- 
umn matter,  statistical  tables,  etc.  Work 
of  this  kind,  especially  if  set  in  small  type 
in  large  forms,  calls  for  great  skill  and  care 
in  justifying,  in  order  that  the  form  may 
lock  up  square  and  solid. 

Ruling  Machine — For  ruling  blank  paper, 
such  as  account  books,  statements,  bill- 
heads, etc.  This  machine  is  not  usually 
part  of  a  printing  ofhce  equipment,  but 
iDelongs  to  a  blank-book  bindery  or  paper 
house.   Paper  ruling  is  a  specialized  trade. 


of  Technical  Terms        257 

Ruled  Paper — Blank  books,  writing  paper, 
office  blanks,  etc.,  ruled  with  horizontal  or 
with  both  horizontal  and  perpendicular 
lines  as  guides  for  writing,  or  for  division 
into  columns,  etc.  This  ruling  is  done  on 
special  machines  in  which  the  flat  sheets 
are  carried  along  a  framework  by  means 
of  tapes  or  threads  ;  as  the  sheets  move 
under  a  set  of  pens  arranged  in  the  re- 
quired positions  the  paper  receives  the 
ruling.  Many  kinds  of  ruled  paper,  like 
statements,  billheads,  account  books,  are 
made  in  more  or  less  uniform  styles,  and 
are  kept  in  stock  by  paper  dealers  and 
stationers,  while  an  immense  quantity  of 
specially  ruled  paper  is  constantly  being 
made  for  printers  who  make  a  specialty  of 
stationery  and  blank-book  work.  The  fol- 
lowing are  some  standard  sizes  that  are 
commonly  kept  in  stock  by  paper  houses  : 

Letterheads SJ^Xii      =  14  of  17X22  folio 

Packet  note 6X9/^        ^  %  of  19X24  medium 

,  6's  wide  8K  X4%  =  Ve  of  14  X  17 

Billheads 4;s     "      8^X7      =%  of  14X17 

)  3's  S^XgJi  =i4of  17X28 

"^  2's     "      8J^^Xi4   =y2ofi4Xi7 

I  5^X85^  =y8   of  17X22 

Statements.  ...■]  5^^X11  =%   of  17X22 

^5^X5?^  =  1/12  of  17X22 

Runs  on  Sorts  —  When  copy  calls  for  more 
than  the  usual  number  of  any  particular 
characters  in  the  font.    See  Sorts. 


258    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Ruggles  Press — A  series  of  presses  in  various 
sizes  and  patterns,  designed  by  S.  P.  Rug- 
gles of  Boston  during  the  middle  of  the  last 
century.  He  was  one  of  the  most  successful 
inventors  of  job  presses,  but  his  machines 
have  long  been  superseded.  He  made  the 
first  American  card  press  about  1836. 

Rim- rounds — Type  matter  justified  to  fit 
close  around  small  engravings,  special 
designs,  and  similar  places. 

Run  In  —  In  composing  and  proof  reading, 
to  put  phrases  or  sentences  into  one  par- 
agraph  ;  usually  indicatedj 
fin  this  manner;  to  set  matter  without 
paragraphing.  Run  on,  to  continue  mat- 
ter in  one  paragraph. 

Runners — Figures  or  letters  placed  down  the 
side  of  a  page  to  make  ready  reference  to 
any  particular  line,  as  in  school  editions  of 
classics,  law  briefs,  etc. 

Running  Head,  or  Ti/le—The  title  of  the  book 
or  subject  placed  at  the  top  of  each  page. 

Run  Out  and  Indent —To  begin  the  first  line 
of  a  paragraph  flush  and  indent  succeed- 
ing lines ;  to  make  hanging  indention. 

Saddle-stitch— To  bind  a  pamphlet  by 
sewing  or  wiring  it  through  the  middle, 
when  the  sheets  are  folded  into  each  other 
quirewise.  When  the  folded  sheets  or  sec- 
tions of  a  pamphlet  are  placed  side  by  side, 
they  are  side-stitched. 


of  Technical  Terms        259 

Safety  Paper — Used  for  checks,  coupons,  and 
similar  purposes.  Safety  paper  is  made  in 
various  ways ;  that  used  by  government  de- 
partments for  currency,  stamps,  etc.,  being 
manufactured  by  special  processes.  For 
many  minor  purposes  it  is  made  by  print- 
ing a  very  light  tint  over  the  entire  surface. 
The  tint  block  may  be  a  grained  or  lined 
surface,  or  it  may  have  some  distinctive 
design  or  lettering  in  repetition,  so  as  to 
form  a  background  for  subsequent  print- 
ing or  writing.  The  purpose  is  to  make  a 
surface  upon  which  erasures  or  changes 
cannot  be  made  without  detection. 

Sans  Serif— T\\^  style  of  type  face  in  America 
called  gothic  is  in  England  called  sans 
serif  (that  is,  without  serif).  It  is  distin- 
guished by  the  absence  of  serifs  or  ticks 
on  the  ends  of  strokes  and  by  its  uniform 
thickness  of  line.    See  Gothic. 

Savings  Galley  —  A  galley  for  holding  type 
which  has  been  once  used,  but  which  is 
saved  for  use  again,  in  whole  or  in  part. 
It  may  be  a  regular  galley  kept  in  conven- 
ient place,  or  a  special  small  wooden  gal- 
ley to  be  placed  on  the  cap.  case. 

Scale  —  A  schedule  of  prices  establishing 
charges  for  certain  kinds  of  work,  such  as 
wages,  composition  by  hand  or  machine, 
press  work,  engraving,  electrotyping,  etc. 
A  scale  usually  fixes  minimum  charges, 
and  differing  prices  are  often  based  on 
quantity,  quality,  time  of  payment,  etc. 


26o  The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Scale-boards  —  Dampened  strips  of  spongy 
cardboard  put  between  ends  of  lines  and 
side-sticks,  to  tighten  lines  imperfectly 
justified.  Originally  scale-boards  were 
thin  strips  of  sheet  iron  and  were  used 
for  leading  lines  of  type ;  later  they  were 
used  between  the  type  pages  and  the  chase 
for  securing  register,  etc.  The  term  and 
the  material  are  not  now  in  use,  as  accu- 
rately made  furniture,  reglets,  and  slugs, 
with  more  careful  workmanship,  make 
scale-boards  unnecessary  except  in  ver)' 
botchy  composition.  Another  form  of  the 
word  was  scabbard. 

Scare  Head — An  extra  large,  sensational 
head-line,  as  in  a  newspaper. 

Scissors,  Shears — "In  trade  usage,  all  such 
instruments  less  than  six  inches  in  length 
are  termed  scissors,  while  all  exceeding 
that  length  are  shears." 

Score — To  crease  cards  or  thick  paper  slight- 
ly, so  that  they  can  be  folded  exactly  at  cer- 
tain points.  This  may  be  done  by  locking 
up  the  scoring  rules  in  the  required  posi- 
tion in  a  job  press  chase,  then  taking  ofi 
the  ink  rollers,  setting  gauges  and  feeding 
the  sheets  through  in  the  same  manner  as 
for  printing.  S&q  Per/orating  Hu/c.  Scoring 
is  also  done  on  a  special  machine,  which 
has  a  small  wheel  revolving  slightly  abo\e 
an  iron  shelf  or  table  ;  between  this  wheel 
and  table  the  sheets  pass,  receiving  a  slight 
mark  at  the  place  where  the  fold  is  desired. 


of  Technical  Terms        261 

Scoring  Rule — Brass  or  steel  rules  for  creas- 
ing folders,  covers,  etc.,  on  a  job  press. 

Scotch  Roman  —  A  style  of  type  face  intro- 
duced a  few  years  ago  by  a  firm  of  Scotch 
type  founders.  It  is  a  modern  roman  with 
slightly  thickened  strokes  and  rounded 
serifs,  giving  a  general  effect  like  old-style. 
It  should  not  be  confused  with  Scotch-cut 
modern  roman,  which  is  a  much  older  face 
based  on  a  French  style  of  roman  known 
as  Bodoni.  Scotch  roman  is  made  in  this 
country  by  the  American  Type  Founders 
Co.  under  the  name  of  "Wayside"  series. 

Scotch  Roman  (Wayside) 

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST 

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 
1234567890 

Scotch-cut  Modem  Roman 

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTU 

abcdefgliijkhnnopqrstuvwxyz 
1234567890 

Scratch  Comma — An  old  name  for  the  sign  / 
commonly  used  to  separate  shillings  and 
pence  (English  money),  between  fractions, 
and  in  similar  places,  %  %. 

Scratched  Figures  —  Another  name  for  can- 
celled figures,  such  as  are  used  in  arith- 
metic work,  etc.,  ^. 

Screamer  — Aw  exclamation-point  put  at  the 
end  of  a  large  head-line. 


262    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Screw  Chase  —  This  style  of  chase  is  chiefly 
used  in  newspaper  work.  Instead  of  lock- 
up with  quoins,  screw  bolts  are  fitted  into 
two  sides  of  the  chase  and  the  bolts  oper- 
ated by  a  wrench.    See  Chase. 

Scre7v  Press — A  machine  for  imparting  pres- 
sure by  turning  a  large  screw  or  screws. 
The  early  hand  press  was  of  this  style. 

Screw  Quoin — A  small  iron  quoin  whose  side 
pieces  spread  or  contract  by  means  of  a 
screw  bolt  which  is  operated  by  a  small 
wrench.  Not  much  used,  except  in  ama- 
teur printing  outfits. 

Screw  Stick — A  compositor's  stick  in  which 
the  knee  is  held  to  the  back  plate  by  means 
of  a  screw.  In  the  old-st}4e  screw  stick  a 
short  screw,  requiring  a  screw-driver  to 
operate,  goes  through  the  back  plate  and 
into  the  knee.  The  common  job  stick,  in 
which  the  knee  is  held  in  place  by  a  thumb- 
screw, is  called  the  Yankee  stick.  See 
Composing  Stick. 

Scri/>t~A  general  name  for  that  class  of  types 
designed  to  imitate  handwriting.  Script 
type  is  expensive  to  make  ;  its  long  kerned 
faces,  with  delicate  hair  lines,  renders  it 
fragile.  Its  use  is  now  very  limited  except 
on  fine  card  and  society  work.  Many  print- 
ing houses  do  not  have  script  type,  but 
turn  over  work  of  this  kind  to  the  copper- 
plate engraver,  or  make  a  relief  plate  by 
photographing  a  pen  drawing. 


of  Technical  Terms        263 

Second  Mark — The  double  tick  "  used  to  in- 
dicate geographical  and  chronological  sec- 
onds, etc.    See  Minute  Mark. 

Section — A  sheet  of  book  pages  folded  ready 
for  sewing  ;  it  is  usually  identical  with  sig- 
nature ;  but  often  two  or  more  signatures, 
set  one  into  the  other,  make  a  section. 

Sectional  Block — For  mounting  electrotypes 
or  other  printing  plates.  It  consists  of  a 
number  of  small,  hollow  steel  and  brass 
sections  made  on  a  unit  system  of  sizes.  A 
number  of  these  sections  may  be  combined 
to  form  any  size  page  desired,  or  to  fill  an 
entire  chase.  The  brass  sections  are  fitted 
with  small  hooks  or  catches  operated  later- 
ally by  screws.  When  the  electro,  with  bev- 
eled edges,  is  placed  on  the  block,  the 
hooks  are  put  into  position  and,  by  means 
of  a  hand  ratchet,  are  screwed  up  to  hold 
the  plate  firmly.    See  Patent  Block. 

Sectional  Type — A  st}'le  of  type  in  which  each 
letter  was  made  in  two  parts,  the  upper 
half  being  separate  from  the  lower  part. 
By  setting  lines  of  smaller  t\'pe  between 
the  upper  and  lower  parts,  the  effect  pro- 
duced is  of  a  narrow  panel  lying  across  a 
line  of  large  type.  A  typographic  arrange- 
ment now  rare. 

Sectioji  Mark  —  The  old-style  reference  sign 
§,  usually  kept  in  one  of  the  top  boxes  of 
the  cap.  case.    See  Reference  Marks. 


264  The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Semicolon  [;  J  —  See  Punctuation  Marks. 

Separatrix  —  The  diagonal  stroke  used,  in 
correcting  proofs,  to  call  attention  to  the 
mark  in  the  margin,  and  to  separate  the 
marks  when  there  are  several  corrections 
in  the  same  line,  etc.  Also,  a  dot  placed 
before  a  decimal  fraction,  to  separate  it 
from  the  whole  number  to  which  it  be- 
longs ;  the  decimal  point. 

Series — When  a  style  of  type  is  made  in  two 
or  more  uniformly  graded  sizes  it  is  said 
to  be  a  series  of  that  face.  Most  popular 
type  faces  are  now  made  in  series,  ranging 
in  sizes  from  6-point  up  to  72-point,  and 
even  larger.    See  Sizes  of  Type. 

Serif— T\\^  short  cross-line  or  tick  at  the  ends 
of  the  stroke  in  roman  letters.    See  Type. 

Set — To  pick  up  types  and  arrange  them  in 
form  for  printing.  Also,  the  width  of  a  type 
is  its  set ;  the  size  of  a  type  is  its  depth  up 
and  down,  its  body-size.  Thus,  a  10-point 
en-quad  is  lo-point  body  and  5-point  set. 

Set  Close — To  thin  space  and  omit  leads.  Set 
open,  to  wide  space  and  open  out  well  with 
leads  or  slugs. 

Set-off— ^&&  Off-set. 

Set  Out — When  any  letter  in  a  case  has  been 
exhausted  so  that  no  more  of  the  copy  can 
be  composed,  it  is  set  out,  even  if  many 
boxes  still  have  type.    See  Empty  Case. 


of  Technical  Terms        265 

Set  So/id—To  set  lines  of  type  close  together, 
without  leads  or  other  material. 

Setting  Rule — A  composing  rule. 

Setting  the  Stick  —  Adjusting  the  knee  of  a 
composing  stick  to  the  required  measure. 
To  set  a  stick  accurately,  use  12-point  (or 
pica)  lower-case  letter  m's,  of  any  conven- 
ient font,  putting  the  letters  in  sideways 
in  this  manner : 

£££££S£££££SS££ 

Adjust  the  knee  so  that  the  line  will  stand 
without  falling,  but  not  so  tight  that  it 
cannot  be  readily  lifted  out.  If  the  stick 
has  a  thumb-screw  clamp  to  hold  the  knee, 
try  the  screw  occasionally  to  see  that  it 
does  not  work  loose  after  a  number  of  lines 
have  been  justified,  thus  making  the  last 
line  longer  than  the  first. 

Shank— The  metal  body  upon  which  the  let- 
ter is  cast. 

Shaved  Leads  —  Those  that  are  made  by  a 
method  of  drawing  through  a  mould  which 
shaves  them  to  exact  and  uniform  thick- 
ness the  entire  length  ;  in  distinction  from 
leads  made  by  the  old  method  of  casting 
in  common  moulds,  which  is  a  slower  oper- 
ation and  produced  leads  which  were  more 
or  less  imperfect. 

Sheet  the  Roller — To  turn  a  roller  over  a  sheet 
of  paper  (it  should  be  hard,  or  sized)  for 
the  purpose  of  taking  off  surplus  ink. 


266    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Sheeiiaise — The  pages  of  a  sheet  imposed  in 
two  forms,  the  forms  being  printed  sepa- 
rately, one  on  each  side  of  the  sheet.  See 
Half  Sheet,  Work-atid-turn. 

Shilling  Mark  —  The  short  diagonal  stroke 
frequently  placed  after  a  number  express- 
ing shillings  in  English  money.  It  is  used 
thus,  6/,  signifying  6  shillings  ;  or  placed 
between  two  numbers,  6/4,  signifying 
6  shillings  and  4  pence,  or  ts.  \d. 

Shoe — One  or  more  sheets  of  strong  paper, 
upon  which  a  page  of  type  is  laid  when 
it  is  desired  to  be  put  aside.  Pieces  of  stiff 
cardboard,  cut  a  little  larger  than  the  type 
page,  are  sometimes  used  for  shoes.  Old 
shoe  is  the  term  sometimes  applied  to  the 
hell-box,  or  receptacle  for  broken  type,  etc. 

Shoofly  —  On  a  cylinder  press,  the  frame  of 
short  steel  fingers  between  the  grippers  in 
front  of  the  feed-board  ;  it  supports  the 
sheet  as  it  is  drawn  around  by  the  grippers, 
and  when  the  sheet  comes  around,  after 
printing,  rises  slightly  to  run  the  sheet  on 
to  the  front  delivery  fly. 

Shooting-stick  —  An  implement  used  to  drive 
up  wooden  quoins  in  locking  forms.  Iron 
quoins  are  made  to  tighten  the  form  with 
a  wrench  or  key,  without  the  use  of  a 
shooting-stick  and  mallet.    See  Quoins. 

Short  Accent — The  upturned  curve  over  the 
vowels,  a,  e,  o,  etc. 


I 


of  Technical  Terms 


Short  And — The  sign  &: ;  sometimes  called 
the  round  and;  formerly  called  ampersand. 

Short  Count — When  the  number  of  copies  of 
a  piece  of  work,  or  the  sheets  of  paper,  are 
not  sufficient  to  make  the  quantity  wanted. 

Short  Cross — The  short  bar  of  a  large  chase  ; 
the  bar  dividing  a  chase  lengthwise  is  the 
long  cross. 

Short  Page —\\hQn  the  type  matter  does  not 
fill  it  to  the  same  length  as  its  mates,  and 
it  has  to  be  filled  out  with  blank  material. 

Short  Take  —  When  copy  is  divided  among 
several  compositors,  each  has  only  a  few 
lines  to  set,  or  a  short  take.    See  Take. 

Short  Twelves — A  plan  of  imposing  a  sheet 
of  i2mo,  in  which  the  pages  are  laid  down 
in  three  rows  of  four.    See  Lofig  Twelves. 

Shoulder — The  top  of  the  type  body  not  cov- 
ered by  the  letter.  More  specifically,  the 
space  above  and  below  the  letter  is  the 
shoulder  ;  at  the  side  the  space  is  called 
side-bearing. 

Shoulder-notes — Side-notes  on  book  pages, 
when  they  are  at  the  top  of  the  page,  are 
sometimes  called  shoulder-notes. 

Show  Bill — A  large  sheet  or  poster,  printed 
with  bright  colors,  pictures,  etc.,  to  post 
on  billboards.  Show  card,  a  large  placard 
to  post  in  public  view. 


268   The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Side-bearing — The  shoulder  on  the  side  of  a 
letter  or  other  character  ;  it  gives  the  space 
between  the  letters  of  a  word.  Also,  on 
cylinder  and  job  presses,  the  type-high 
ledge  on  each  side  of  the  bed  ;  on  the  for- 
mer the  side-bearings  support  and  steady 
the  cylinder  during  the  impression,  and  on 
the  latter,  they  support  the  roller-ends 
while  inking  the  form. 

Side-head — In  book  work,  a  side-head  is  usu- 
ally set  in  the  first  line  of  the  paragraph. 
In  catalogues,  advertising,  etc.,  side-heads 
are  often  put  in  lines  by  themselves,  either 
at  the  side  of  the  matter  to  which  they 
refer,  or  at  the  commencement  of  a  line 
immediately  above. 

Side-note— In  book  and  pamphlet  work,  side- 
notes  are  in  the  margin  outside  of  the  type 
page,  and  are  usually  set  in  narrow  meas- 
ure in  type  several  sizes  smaller  than  the 
text  of  the  page. 

Side  Sorts — The  infrequently  used  charac- 
ters of  a  font,  such  as  j,  q.  x,  etc.,  kept  in 
the  small  boxes  at  the  side  of  the  case. 

Side  Sticks,  Foot  Sticks  —  Strips  of  wood  or 
metal  furniture  placed  at  the  side  and  foot 
of  a  page  in  a  chase;  against  these  the 
quoins  are  placed  for  locking  up.  When 
old  style  wooden  quoins  are  used,  the  side 
sticks  are  narrow  at  one  end  and  wide  at 
the  other,  to  form  a  wedge  into  which  the 
quoins  are  driven  with  a  shooting-stick. 


of  Technical  Terms        269 


Side-stitch. — To  bind  a  pamphlet  by  wiring  or 
sewing  the  sheets  together  sideways.  See 
Saddle-stitch. 

Signature  —  In  book  work,  a  letter  or  figure 
at  the  bottom  of  the  first  page  of  a  form, 
to  direct  the  binder  in  putting  the  printed 
sheets  in  order  in  the  volume.  Signatures 
guide  the  binder  in  folding,  insetting,  and 
collating  the  sheets.  They  are  also  of  use 
to  the  compositor  and  pressman  in  identi- 
fying the  forms  and  arranging  them  in 
proper  position  on  the  press.  The  text  usu- 
ally commences  with  signature  b  or  2,  a 
or  I  being  reserved  for  the  preliminary 
sheet,  where,  however,  it  is  not  inserted. 
The  general  rule  in  this  country  is  to  use 
common  figures  for  numbering,  although 
the  older  practice  was  to  use  letters  in 
alphabetical  order.  This  marking  of  signa- 
tures on  the  first  page  has 
been  largely  superseded  by 
another  method.  This  is 
to  place  a  mark  in  the  gut- 
ter margin  between  the 
first  and  last  pages  of  the 
sheet.  As  these  two  pages 
are  side  by  side,  any  mark 
would  show  on  the  back  of  the  folded  sig- 
nature. The  first  signature  has  the  mark 
well  toward  the  top,  the  next  signature  has 
it  a  little  further  down,  and  the  others  still 
further  down  at  regular  intervals.  When 
the  signatures  for  a  complete  book  are 


Modem 
method 
of  marking 
signatures, 
showing  the 
marks  on 
back  of 
signatures 
when 

folded  and 
gathered. 


270  The  Printer's  Dictionary 

gathered,  the  back  will  show  a  series  of 
these  marks  in  regular  order,  as  illustrated 
on  the  preceding  page.  A  missing  signa- 
ture will  be  noted  by  the  absence  of  its 
mark  in  the  sequence,  and  a  transposition 
or  doubling  of  signatures  will  show  an  ir- 
regularity in  the  sequence  of  marks. 

Signature  Cut  —  An  engraved  fac-simile  of 
an  autograph,  used  for  printing  a  person's 
name. 

Signature  Line — The  line  of  quads  at  the 
bottom  of  the  first  page  of  a  signature,  in 
which  the  number  or  letter  is  placed.  See 
Foot-lim. 

Signature  Page  —  The  first  page  of  a  folded 
sheet  or  signature.  A  large  form  of  small 
pages  often  contains  two  or  more  signa- 
tures, which  are  to  be  cut  apart  after  print- 
ing; in  this  case  the  first  page  of  each  part, 
having  the  signature  letter  or  number,  is 
termed  the  signature  page. 

Signature  Press  —  Used  in  book  binderies, 
for  pressing  together  with  great  force  the 
folded  signatures,  in  order  to  make  the 
leaves  flat  and  the  book  as  compact  and 
solid  as  possible. 

Sign  —  A  mark  used  as  an  abbreviation  for 
a  known  meaning;  a  figure,  letter,  or  other 
character  used  technically,  instead  of  the 
word,  according  to  prescribed  usage.  See 
Commercial  Signs,  Mathematical  Signs,  Re- 
ligious Signs,  Proof  Reader's  Marks,  etc. 


of  Technical  Terms        271 

S.  6^  S.  C. —  Referring  to  paper,  means 
sized  and  supercalendered.  S.  &>  C,  sized 
and  calendered. 

Silhouette  —  A  portrait,  profile,  or  outline  of 
any  object  represented  in  black. 

Silver  Bronze  —  A  fine  white  metallic  powder 
dusted  on  an  impression  made  with  white 
size,  for  silver  printing.    See  Bro7izing. 

Simplex  Type- Setter  —  A  machine  for  setting 
and  distributing  type,  the  composing  being 
done  by  operating  a  keyboard  similar  to 
a  typewriter.  The  machine  consists  of  an 
upright  cylinder  having  vertical  grooves 
on  its  surface  the  entire  length.  The  type 
used  is  regular  foundry-cast,  but  each  char- 
acter of  the  font  is  nicked  different  from 
all  other  characters  and  fits  a  particular 
groove  in  the  upright  cylinder.  This  cyl- 
inder is  in  two  sections,  the  lower  part  be- 
ing stationary,  while  the  upper  part,  which 
is  the  distributing  mechanism,  revolves  in- 
termittingly.  In  the  grooves  of  this  upper 
part  are  inserted  lines  of  dead  matter  in  a 
vertical  position.  The  width  of  the  grooves 
is  made  to  coincide  with  the  size  of  t).'pe 
used,  and  they  are  a  little  less  in  depth 
than  the  height  of  type.  The  type  rests  on 
its  side,  the  face  projecting  slightly  be- 
yond the  cylinder.  As  the  upper  cylinder 
moves  around  step  by  step  it  presents  the 
bottom  type  in  each  line  over  a  groove  in 
the  lower  stationary  cylinder ;  the  type, 


I 


272    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

however,  will  drop  only  into  the  groove 
which  has  its  shape  or  "  teeth  "  arranged 
to  match  the  nicks  of  the  t}'pe  assigned  to 
it.  In  this  way  each  letter  is  delivered  to 
its  special  groove.  The  composing  is  done 
by  releasing  the  types  in  required  order  at 
the  bottom  of  the  grooves.  This  is  con- 
trolled by  the  keyboard,  and  as  each  type 
drops  it  is  carried  on  a  swiftly  revolving 
disk  around  to  a  narrow  channel  in  front 
of  the  operator.  This  line  is  continuous, 
and  as  it  advances  to  the  end  of  the  chan- 
nel it  is  divided  by  hand  into  short  lines 
and  justified  in  a  stationar)'  "  stick"  in  the 
same  manner  as  ordinary  hand  composi- 
tion. This  machine  was  originally  known 
as  the  Thome  type-setting  machine,  in- 
vented by  Joseph  Thorne  and  patented  in 
1 880.  It  is  the  most  successful  t}-pe-setting 
machine  yet  made,  and  there  are  many  of 
them  in  use  throughout  the  country. 

Sinkage  of  the  Chapter  Head — To  put  a  blank 
space,  like  a  line  of  quotation  furniture,  at 
the  top  of  the  first  page  of  a  chapter. 

Six-to-Pica  —  Said  of  leads,  brass  rule,  etc., 
before  the  adoption  of  the  point  system. 
The  thickness  of  leads  and  rules  was  in- 
dicated by  the  proportion  their  size  bore 
to  the  pica :  six-to-pica  is  approximately 
two-point ;  twelve-to-pica,  one-point. 

Sixteeti-tno  —  A  sheet  folded  to  make  sixteen 
leaves;   i6mo  or  i6's.    See  Octavo. 


of  Technical  Terms        273 

Size  —  A  glutinous  preparation,  made  of  ani- 
mal or  vegetable  fats,  used  to  give  stiffness 
to  paper  and  to  prevent  writing  ink  from 
spreading  on  it.  Size  may  be  mixed  in  the 
pulp  in  the  vat,  or  the  paper  may  be  coated 
by  passing  through  a  bath  of  size,  when 
it  is  said  to  be  tub-sized.  Writing  papers 
are  fully  sized  ;  printing  papers  are  lightly 
sized  or  devoid  of  all  size.  Also,  a  sticky, 
varnish-like  substance,  used  as  a  printing 
ink  when  the  sheets  are  to  be  bronzed. 
Size  of  this  kind  is  often  colored  to  corre- 
spond to  the  color  of  the  metallic  powder 
to  be  used,  as  white  size  for  silver  powder, 
yellow  size  for  gold  powder,  etc. 

Sizes  of  Envelopes  —  A  few  standard  sizes  of 
envelopes  are  here  listed  : 


Commercial  .  .  . 

,  No.    4  — 

size  2%Xs^i  inches 

No.    5  — 

" 

3^16X51^2  inches 

No.    6  — 

" 

33/3X6  inches 

No.   6y4- 

« 

31/2X6  inches 

No.    63^- 

" 

35/8  X6V2  inches 

No.    7  — 

" 

3%  X  63/4  inches 

No.    9  — 

'• 

3%  X 8%  inches 

No.  10  — 

« 

4y8X9V2  inches 

No.  II  — 

« 

4y2Xio%  inches 

No.  12  — 

" 

43/4X1 1  inches 

No.  14  — 

" 

SX11V2  inches 

Baronial 

.  No.    4  — 

" 

3%  X4iyi6  inches 

No.    5  — 

" 

4y8X5y8  inches 

No.    5V2- 

" 

4%  X  5%  inches 

Coin  (open  end)  No.    3  — 

" 

2y2X4i4  inches 

No.    5  — 

" 

2%  X514  inches 

No.    sVa- 

" 

3y8X5y2  inches 

Pay  (open  side) 

No.    2  — 

" 

21^2X414  inches 

274   The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Sizes  of  Paper —  See  Paper  Sizes,  Ruled  Paper. 

Sizes  of  Type — Printing  type  has.  first,  a  name 
indicating  its  size,  and  second,  one  denot- 
ing the  st)'le  of  its  face.  For  instance,  the 
type  used  for  the  text  of  this  book  is  lo- 
pjDint  (its  size)  FrankUn  01d-st)'le  No.  79 
(the  foundry  name  of  its  face).  Formerly 
there  was  no  uniform  standard  of  type 
sizes,  ahhough  most  foundries  made  types 
in  a  certain  relative  proportions,  and  these 
sizes  were  known  by  arbitrary-  names. 
But,  as  each  foundry  had  a  standard  of  its 
own,  the  printer  who  bought  from  different 
founders  had  no  assurance  that  the  bodies 
of  one  founder  would  exactly  match  that 
of  the  same  name  from  another. 
The  sizes  of  types  now  cast  by  American 
type  founders  are  graduated  on  a  uniform 
scale  known  as  the  Point  system.  The  unit 
of  the  system  is  a  division  of  space  called 
a  point  (about  V72  of  an  inch),  and  all  type- 
bodies  are  multiples  of  and  are  measured 
by  it.  The  multitude  of  type  faces  made  by 
the  foundries  nowadays  makes  it  neces- 
sary to  use  several  words  to  name  a  specific 
type,  but  each  size  is  described  by  its  num- 
ber of  points. 

There  are  some  printing-houses  where  the 
old  sizes  are  still  in  use  and  many  of  the 
old  names  are  in  vogue  —  even  applied  to 
types  of  the  point  system, —  and  the  ap>- 
prentice  should  familiarize  himself  with 


of  Technical  Terms        275 


these  older  names  in  connection  with  their 
corresponding  sizes  of  the  point  system. 

3-Point 
4-Point 

4^-Pomt 

5-Point 
5^ -Point 

6-Point 

y-Point 

8-Point 

9-Point 
lO-Point 
ii-Point 
i2-Point 
14-Pomt 
1 6- Point 


i8-Point 

20-Point 
22-Point 
24-Point 
28-Point 
32-Point 
36-Point 
40-Point 
44-Point 
48-Point 


.     Excelsior 
.     Brilliant 
.     Diamond 
,     Pearl 

Agate 

Nonpareil 

Minion 

Bre\-ier 

Bourgeois 

Long  primer 

Small  pica 

Pica 

English 

Columbian 
j  Great  primer 
I  Three-line  nonpareil 

Paragon 

Two-line  small  pica 

Two-line  pica 

Two-line  english 

Two-line  Columbian 

Two-Une  great  primer 

Two-line  paragon 

Meridian 

Canon,  Four-line  pica 


The  smallest  size  in  general  use  is  5 -point 
(pearl),  and  sometimes  45^ -point  (dia- 
mond) is  necessary,  but  except  for  special 
uses,  such  as  miniature  editions  of  books, 
cut-in  notes,  piece-fractions,  small  borders, 
and  special  characters,  and  an  occasional 
word  or  line  that  is  required  to  be  put  into 
the  smallest  possible  compass,  sizes  be- 
low 5 -point  are  not  practicable  for  any 
extended  use.    Agate  (5^ -point),  nonpa- 


276  The  Printer's  Dictionary 

riel  (6-point), minion  (7-point).  and  brevier 
(8  point)  are  sizes  used  mostly  in  news- 
papers and  magazines  for  the  small  type 
in  advertisements.  Agate  (14  lines  to  an 
inch)  is  the  common  standard  of  measure- 
ment for  newspaper  and  magazine  adver- 
tising space,  the  price  being  usually  based 
upon  the  number  of  agate  lines.  Ordinar)- 
reman  types  for  books  and  periodicals  are 
made  only  in  the  smaller  sizes  of  the  list. 
There  are  numberless  varieties  of  these 
faces,  some  of  which  require  the  eye  of  an 
expert  to  distinguish  one  from  another. 
Some  of  them  are  made  in  a  few  sizes  only, 
while  others  are  made  in  more  or  less  com- 
plete series  from  5-point  to  48-point.  The 
irregular  sizes  of  5 14 -point,  7-point,  9- 
point,  and  i  i-point  are  mostlyroman  faces, 
with  their  companion  italics,  and  a  few 
bolder  styles  for  side-headings  and  other 
display  in  combination  with  roman  of  the 
same  body. 

Type-founders  now  make  most  new  styles 
of  type  in  graded  series  from  6-point  to 
72-point,  and  in  some  cases  even  larger. 
Types  adapted  to  many  kinds  of  work  are 
made  in  nearly  all  regular  sizes;  those  hav- 
ing a  more  limited  use  are  made  in  fewer 
sizes ;  there  being,  for  instance,  less  need 
for  the  smaller  sizes  of  very  heavy  faces, 
while  those  designed  for  small  and  dainty 
work  are  made  only  in  the  smaller  sizes 
of  the  list. 


of  Technical  Terms        277 


6- Point  I 
7- Point  I 
8-Point 
9-Point  I 
lO-Point  I 
1 1 -Point  I 
i2-Point  I 
14-Point  j 
18-Point  I 

22-Point  I 


30-Point 


36-Point 


IH 


|H  Sizes  of  job  types  are  graduated 
|H  by  two  points  up  to  14-point  (6, 
|H  8,  10,  12,  14),  with  an  occasional 
|H  series  having  an  11 -point  or  a 
|H  15-point  size  ;  then  i8-point  and 
■fj  larger  by  multiples  of  6-point 
up  to  60-point  (18,  24,  30,  36, 
42,  48,  54,  60).  Larger  sizes 
|H  ^^^  usually  7 2 -point,  84-point 
(rare),  and  96 -point,  the 
largest  metal  types  cast  in 
a  mould  being  120- point 
and  1 44- point.  Besides 
the  foregoing  there  are 
some  intermediate  sizes 
(16,  20,  22,  28,  30,  40- 
point),  which,  though 
not  used  for  type  of 
recent  design,  will  be 
found  in  some  compos- 
ing rooms.  These 
sizes  are  mostly  old 
type  faces,  scripts, 
and  black-letter, 
originally  cast  on 
the  old  bodies 
and  later,   after 


Note.  Each  square  of 
black  shows  one  em  of 
the  size  stated,  and  also 
the  depth  of  the  body 
upon  which  the  letter  is 
made.  The  space  below 
the  His  required  for  let- 
ters like  y,  p,  g,  etc. 


278    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

the  introduction  of  the  point  system,  made 
on  bodies  of  the  new  system  which  ap- 
proached nearest  to  their  original  sizes. 
Bastard  types  are  those  with  faces  larger 
or  smaller  than  is  commonly  made  on  the 
body,  as  the  face  of  7- point  on  6-point 
body,  giving  the  effect  of  compactness  ;  or 
an  8-point  face  on  a  9-point  body,  which 
gives  a  lighter  appearance  as  if  opened 
with  thin  leads.  Because  of  this  irregu- 
larity in  the  faces  of  types  it  is  often  diffi- 
cult, even  for  an  expert,  to  know  the  body- 
size  of  a  type  by  examining  a  printed  sheet. 

Skeleton  Chase  — A  plain  iron  frame  of  large 
size,  without  cross  bars  or  dovetailed  slots 
for  bars. 

Skeleton  Form  —  A  form  made  up  chiefly  of 
large  blank  spaces,  with  relatively  little 
printing  surfaces  widely  separated,  such 
as  might  be  used  for  a  blank-book  page, 
or  a  form  for  printing  spots  of  a  second 
color  on  a  job. 

Skeleton  Letter  —  A  type  face  in  which  the 
lines  are  very  thin  and  the  shapes  of  letters 
greatly  condensed  or  unusually  extended. 


Slice  ~  A  thick,  wide  metal  knife  for  hand- 
ling ink,  etc. 


of  Technical  Terms        279 

Slice  Galley  —  An  old  style  wooden  galley,  in 
two  parts  ;  used  for  large  pages.  The  up- 
per part,  or  slice,  on  which  the  type  was 
placed,  fitted  into  a  lower  tray  with  ledges 
on  three  sides.  The  slice  had  a  ledge 
which  closed  the  fourth  side  when  the  gal- 
ley was  put  together.  When  the  page  was 
tied  up  securely,  the  shingle-shaped  slice 
was  withdrawn,  and  from  it  the  page  was 
pushed  on  to  the  imposing  stone.  This 
style  of  galley  has  now  gone  out  of  use. 

Slide — Another  name  for  the  movable  knee 
of  a  composing  stick. 

Slip  Proof — A  long,  narrow  proof  taken  from 
the  galley  before  the  type  is  made  up  into 
pages  or  columns. 

Slip-sheet  —  An  extra  sheet  of  waste  paper 
placed  between  freshly-printed  sheets  as 
they  are  printed,  to  prevent  set-off  of  ink. 
See  Interleave. 

Slitter  —  A  mechanism  for  cutting  sheets  of 
paper  lengthways  as  they  pass  through  a 
printing  press  or  other  machine.  It  con- 
sists, usually,  of  a  small  disk  with  a  sharp 
cutting  edge  which  revolves  swiftly  close 
beside  another  steel  cutting  edge.  The 
edge  of  the  sheet  is  presented  at  the  proper 
point  and  as  it  passes  along  the  revolving 
wheel  slits  the  sheet. 

Sloping  FractioJis  — Those  made  with  the  di- 
agonal line,  in  distinction  from  those  with 
the  short  horizontal  lines.   See  Fractions. 


28o  The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Slug — A  thick  lead.  In  newspaper  and  other 
piece-work  it  has  a  word  or  figure  on  it  to 
denote  the  compositor  to  whom  the  matter 
following  belongs. 

Slur — A  blurred  impression.  Slurring  is  due 
to  a  disturbance  of  the  sheet  when  the  im- 
pression of  the  form  is  made.  On  a  hand 
press,  when  the  sheet  is  laid  on  the  form 
by  hand,  any  wavering  may  cause  the 
sheet  to  move  sideways  ;  or  it  may  be  dis- 
turbed when  putting  on  a  sheet  or  card  for 
extra  impression,  or  by  carelessly  slam- 
ming down  the  tympan  before  the  bed  is 
run  in  under  the  platen.  If  the  bed  of  the 
press  is  very  smooth  and  slippery,  as  it 
often  is  when  electrotype  forms  covered 
with  black  lead  are  handled,  a  quick  mo- 
tion of  the  bed,  after  the  sheet  and  tympan 
are  down,  may  cause  the  form  to  move 
slightly  before  it  is  in  place  for  the  im- 
pression. On  a  job  press,  a  slur  may  be 
caused  by  improper  adjustment  of  the 
platen  ;  it  may  not  be  level  on  its  bolts,  or 
the  impression  may  strike  hard  on  one  cor- 
ner or  one  end.  A  loose,  baggy  tympan, 
with  too  much  packing  under  it,  may  keep 
the  sheet  so  far  up  from  its  impressional 
level  that  the  form  will  touch  it  first  and 
push  it  down  some  distance  before  the  im- 
pression is  made  ;  or  the  grippers  may  not 
hold  the  sheet  smooth  and  firm.  On  a  cyl- 
inder press,  the  gripper-fingers  may  not 
be  fixed  evenly  and  the  sheet  or  some  part 


of  Technical  Terms        281 

of  it  may  slip  as  it  is  being  drawn  around 
for  the  impression  ;  the  cylinder  and  bed 
may  not  be  adjusted  to  move  together  ac- 
curately ;  the  bearers  may  not  be  the  right 
height ;  the  packing  on  the  cylinder  may 
be  too  little,  or  too  much,  and  loose  ;  or 
the  bands  which  hold  the  sheet  up  to  the 
cylinder  may  let  the  tail  of  the  sheet  down 
on  the  form  before  the  impression  occurs. 
Slurring  may  be  due  to  a  variety  of  causes, 
either  defects  in  the  press  or  in  the  adjust- 
ment of  its  parts.  A  form  with  large  open 
spaces  in  it  is  more  apt  to  slur  than  a 
solid,  compact  form.  A  solid  form  will, 
because  of  the  more  uniform  distribution 
of  pressure,  usually  leave  an  even  impres- 
sion on  the  sheet.  A  form  with  a  single 
line  or  a  rule  standing  alone  will  need  to 
have  the  sheet  held  down  smooth  and  firm 
against  the  impression  surface,  or  t>'mpan, 
and  the  proper  pressure  made  with  pre- 
cision in  order  to  leave  a  sharp,  clean 
imprint ;  the  least  deflection  or  unneces- 
sary force  will  leave  a  blurred  or  thick- 
ened result. 

Small  Pica  — The  old  name  for  the  type  size 
now  known  as  i  i-point.  See  Sizes  of  Type. 

Small  Caps  —  Nearly  all  fonts  of  type  intend- 
ed for  book  work  have,  in  addition  to  the 
usual  capitals,  an  alphabet  of  small  capi- 
tals. These  are  slightly  larger  than  the 
small  letters  of  the  lower-case  font,  and  are 


282    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

often  useful  for  side-headings,  sub-heads, 
running  titles,  and  in  other  places  where 
some  variation  from  the  other  alphabets  is 
desirable.  The  quantity  of  small  caps,  in  a 
complete  font  is  comparatively  small,  and 
type  founders  do  not  include  them  in  the 
font  unless  specially  ordered.  In  some 
fonts  the  small  caps,  c,  o,  s,  v,  w,  x,  2,  are 
so  nearly  like  the  lower-case  letters  that 
they  are  distinguished  only  by  very  close 
scrutiny  of  both  side  by  side.  Occasion- 
ally, small  caps,  are  marked  by  an  extra 
nick  near  the  top  of  the  type  ;  why  type 
founders  do  not  so  mark  them  in  all  cases 
and  save  the  typographer  much  trouble,  is 
a  query  often  asked.    In  copy,  a  direction 

to  use  small  caps,  is  to  draw  two  lines = 

under  the  word. 
Soft  Paper  —  That  which  has  a  soft  surface 
and  body,  and  little  or  no  sizing,  requiring 
relatively  little  pressure  for  printing  ;  news 
and  common  book  paper. 

Softening  Punch,  or  Hammer  —  A  tool  with  a 
stippled  face,  used  by  pressmen  to  soften 
up  or  slightly  roughen  the  edges  of  vign- 
etted halftones  that  have  been  worn  in 
printing. 

Solace  — A  penalty  imposed  by  old-time  print- 
ers for  violation  of  shop  laws. 

Solid  J/rt-zY^fr— Matter  without  leads  between 
the  lines ;  with  few  break-lines  it  is.  in 
piece-work,  lean. 


of  Technical  Terms        283 

Solids  —  In  a  printing  surface,  the  smooth 
parts  which  print  full  color,  as  distinguish- 
ed from  parts  that  are  stippled,  grained, 
or  otherwise  made  to  print  a  gray  color. 
The  brightest  or  whitest  portions  of  a  pic- 
ture are  termed  high  lights. 

Solid  Pick  —  A  letter,  in  type  or  electro,  filled 
up  with  metal  or  other  hard  substance. 

Sorts  —  The  letters  in  the  boxes  of  a  case  ; 
"  out  of  sorts,"  short  of  particular  letters  ; 
"runs  on  sorts,"  when  the  copy  calls  for 
more  than  the  usual  number  of  any  letters. 

Sort  Up  — To  add  sorts  or  needed  letters  to 
a  case  of  type. 

Space  — The  thin  metal  blanks  used  to  sepa- 
rate words  in  a  line  of  type.  Trade  custom 
designates  the  thinnest  blanks,  up  to  one 
third  of  the  em,  as  spaces,  and  those  one 
half  the  em  and  wider  as  quads.  The  dif- 
ferent thicknesses  of  spaces  are  named 
three-to-em  (|),  four-to-em  (|),  five-to-em 
(|),  hair  space  (|),  according  to  their  rela- 
tion to  the  square,  or  em  quad.  To  the  be- 
ginner the  difference  between  spaces  and 
quads  is  often  confusing,  as  a  metal  blank 
that  is  a  three-to-em  space  of  one  size  of 
type  is  exactly  the  same  dimensions  as  a 
three-em  quad  of  another  size  of  type. 
Thus,  a  three-to-em  space  of  an  i8-point 
font  is  6  X  18  points,  which  is  identical 
with  a  three-em  quad  of  a  6-point  font. 
The  difference  between  the  two  blanks  is, 


284   The  Printer's  Dictionary 

however,  in  the  position  of  the  nick ;  on 
the  6-point  quad  the  nick  is  along  the  wide 
three-em  side,  while  on  the  i8-point  space 
it  is  across  the  narrow  6-point  edge  of  the 
blank.  When  there  is  a  shortage  of  quads 
of  smaller  size,  spaces  of  a  larger  size  may 
often  be  used  to  supply  the  deficiency ; 
but,  when  the  matter  is  distributed,  these 
different  spaces  and  quads  should  be  put 
with  their  proper  fonts  and  not  scattered 
here  and  there  throughout  the  cases  in  the 
room.  See  High  Spaces,  Low  Spaces,  Quads. 

Space  Barge  —  An  English  trade  name  for  a 
small  tray  with  six  or  more  divisions,  to 
hold  an  assortment  of  spaces;  such  as  may 
be  used  for  correcting  on  the  stone  or  the 
press,  A  space  barge  may  often  be  merely 
a  piece  of  paper  or  card. 

Space  Dots  —  Periods  cast  higher  than  the 
usual  line  of  the  face.  They  are  used  be- 
tween words  set  in  roman  capitals  com- 
posed in  classic  style  of  tablet  inscriptions, 
in  titles,  etc.  For  occasional  use  only,  and 
not  advisable  where  there  are  many  words. 

FOR  •  CLASSIC  •  LETTERING  •  IN 
IMITATION  •  OF  •  INSCRIPTIONS 

Space  Rules — Small  metal  dashes  cast  on  thin 
bodies,  used  in  occasional  small  tables,  al- 
gebra work,  etc.,  to  separate  words  or  fig- 
ures. Brass  rules  with  light  faces  are  now 
used  with  better  results. 


of  Technical  Terms        285 

Space  Out — To  increase  the  spacing  between 
words  or  lines,  to  make  full  length,  or  to 
cover  specified  area. 

Spanish  N — The  letter  ii  wath  a  curved  line 
(tilde)  over  it,  representing  the  sound  of  ny, 
as  caiion,  pronounced  canyon.  Sometimes 
called  curley  n. 

Specimen  Book  —  A  book  or  catalogue  show- 
ing the  productions  of  a  type  foundry,  elec- 
tro foundr}',  engraving  shop.  etc.  It  is 
now  usually  made  in  the  latest  and  high- 
est style  of  the  art,  and  should  be  carefully 
studied  by  every  apprentice,  to  increase 
his  knowledge  about  materials  and  the 
manner  in  which  they  are  used. 

Specimen  Page  —  A  sample  page  ;  it  may  be 
of  a  proposed  book,  or  to  show  the  use  of 
certain  types,  borders,  etc.  In  all  impor- 
tant work  a  specimen  page  is  first  set,  in 
order  to  decide  upon  the  style,  size,  and 
other  details. 

Split  Fractions  —  Those  cast  in  two  or  more 
pieces ;  same  as  piece  fractions. 

Spoilage  —  Paper  spoiled  or  wasted  in  press- 
work. 

Spring —  When  a  form  is  locked  in  the  chase 
and  the  type  and  furniture  rise  slightly 
from  the  imposing  surface,  it  is  said  to 
spring.  This  is  caused  by  furniture,  cuts, 
or  other  material  not  being  perfectly  true 
on  the  sides,  or  by  improper  justification 
of  the  matter.    It  is  also  liable  to  occur 


286    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

where  there  are  wide  spaces  fitted  with 
wood  furniture  and  the  lockup  is  too  tight. 
Spring  in  the  form  means  that  it  will  not 
lay  solidly  on  the  bed  of  the  press,  and 
the  form  is  not  in  a  proper  condition  for 
printing.  A  form  may  be  readily  tested, 
when  locked  up,  by  gently  pounding  it 
with  the  side  of  the  fist ;  a  spring  in  any 
part  will  be  detected  by  the  difference  in 
sound  at  the  points  where  it  is  solid  and 
where  it  springs.  The  usual  remedy  is  to 
unlock  and  examine  the  form  where  the 
spring  occurs  ;  a  long  line,  or  rule,  or  slug, 
or  an  imperfect  piece  of  furniture  may  be 
the  cause ;  sometimes  simply  reversing  a 
piece  of  furniture,  straightening  up  lines 
that  are  off  their  feet,  or  tightening  up  the 
quoins  in  a  different  order  may  remedy  the 
defect.  Even  when  a  form  is  in  good  con- 
dition, it  may  spring  because  it  is  locked 
too  tightly.  To  try  to  overcome  spring  in 
a  form  by  vigorous  use  of  the  planer  and 
mallet  is  an  unwise  proceeding  and  usu- 
ally results  in  trouble  later.    See  Jiise. 

Squabble— Ty^e.  matter  twisted  out  of  shape. 

Square  Twelves  —  A  scheme  of  imposition  in 
which  the  pages  of  one  side  of  a  i2mo  are 
laid  down  in  three  rows  of  four  pages  each. 
See  Long  Tivelves. 

Stand — A  frame  on  which  type  cases  are 
placed;  the  lower  part  is  usually  fitted  with 
a  rack  for  additional  cases. 


of  Technical  Terms        287 

Standing  Galley—K  frame  with  inclined  top 
divided  into  galley-like  divisions  for  hold- 
ing t}'pe  in  pages  or  columns  ;  the  divi- 
sions are  usually  lined  with  zinc  or  brass 
and  serve  as  stationary  galleys.  The  lower 
part  of  the  frame  often  has  case  racks,  let- 
ter boards,  drawers  or  boxes  for  sorts,  etc. 

Stafiding  Matter — That  which  is  kept  from 
one  printing  to  another,  like  advertising, 
notices,  or  other  composed  matter. 

Standing  Press  —  Used  in  book  binderies. 
See  Hydraulic  Press. 

Stamping  Press  -  A  small  powerful  apparatus 
for  printing  steel  dies,  official  seals,  and 
other  work ;  general  term  for  die  press, 
seal  press,  etc. 

Staple  Binder — A  small  machine,  operated 
by  hand  or  treadle,  for  binding  pamphlets, 
documents,  etc.,  with  wire  staples. 

Star  [*]  —  The  asterisk  ;  the  first  in  the  list 
of  old-style  reference  marks. 

Stateitient — A  blank  form,  with  printed  head- 
ing, used  for  presenting  a  statement  of 
account  between  a  business  firm  and  its 
customers.  It  is  a  common  form  of  job 
printing.    See  Bill-head. 

Steam  Printing  —  An  obsolete  phrase,  which 
meant  that  the  printing  press  was  run  by 
steam  power  —  when  this  method  was  su- 
perseding hand-power.  Later,  we  have 
had  "  electric  printers." 


288    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Steel  Die —  A  small  block  of  polished  steel, 
upon  which  letters  or  other  characters  are 
engraved  in  intaglio.  It  is  employed  for 
fine  stationery  and  card  work,  and  is  more 
expensive  than  typographic  or  relief-plate 
printing.  The  design  to  be  stamped  is 
transferred  to  steel  and  engraved  by  hand. 
The  etching  process  is  used  to  a  limited  ex- 
tent, but  the  die  must  be  finished  by  hand. 
It  is  then  fastened  in  the  head  of  a  stamp- 
ing machine.  Stiff  ink  is  dabbed  into  the 
lines  of  the  design  and  the  face  cleaned  off. 
A  counter  die  is  built  up  of  bristol  board, 
and  the  impression  forces  the  stock  into 
the  die  and  takes  up  the  ink  remaining  in 
the  lines,  thus  producing  an  embossed  ef- 
fect at  the  same  time.  This  process  must 
be  repeated  for  every  impression.  The 
work  may  be  done  by  hand  or  power,  on 
a  machine  built  expressly  for  the  purpose. 
The  ink  used  is  ground  in  damar  varnish, 
and  very  little,  if  any,  other  medium  is  used 
except  japan  dryer.  The  beaut}'  of  the  fin- 
ished work  by  this  process  is  in  the  perfect 
register  of  printing  and  embossing,  which 
is  done  simultaneously,  and  the  high  gloss 
which  is  made  possible  by  the  thick  layer 
of  ink  that  is  mostly  varnish.  Imitation 
steel-die  printing  is  sometimes  done  on 
common  typographic  job  presses,  by  first 
printing  the  design  flat ;  when  the  ink  is 
dry,  the  form  is  run  a  second  time  with 
gloss  varnish,  and  then  an  ordinary  em- 


of  Technical  Terms        289 

bossing  die  put  on  the  press  for  the  final 
impression.  All  three  impressions  must  be 
run  in  carefully  exact  register.  This  is  suc- 
cessful for  designs  that  contain  little  de- 
tail or  are  not  too  small.     See  Embossing. 

Steel  Electrotype  —  An  electro  upon  the  sur- 
face of  which  a  thin  film  of  steel  has  been 
deposited.  Besides  durability  of  face,  it 
withstands  the  chemical  action  of  certain 
colored  inks,  which  cause  trouble  with  or- 
dinary electros.  Steel  facing  is  resorted 
to  where  large  numbers  are  to  be  printed 
from  photogravure  plates.  The  first  film  is 
deposited  by  an  electric  battery  over  the 
whole  of  the  plate,  which  it  hardens  and 
protects.  This  steel  face  in  time  begins  to 
wear,  through  constant  pressure  and  rub- 
bing incidental  to  the  process  of  printing, 
and  the  copper  begins  to  show  through  it ; 
when  this  happens  the  plate  is  placed  in 
an  acid  bath  and  the  steel  film  disappears  ; 
the  plate  itself  being  intact,  may  be  re- 
stored for  further  work.  A  later  improve- 
ment of  great  value  is  the  nickel  steel 
electro.  This  is  a  deposit  of  nickel  steel, 
instead  of  copper,  directly  on  a  wax  or 
lead  mould,  giving  a  more  exact  duplicate 
of  the  original  than  is  obtained  by  the 
former  method,  which  adds  a  film  of  nickel 
to  the  copper  duplicate.     See  Electrotype. 

Steffi  (of  letter) — The  main  upright  stroke  of 
a  letter. 


290  The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Steel  Engraving  —  A  plate  of  polished  steel 
on  which  the  picture  or  design  is  engraved 
or  etched  in  intaglio;  in  general  practice 
the  method  of  engraving  and  printing  is 
like  copperplate  work,  and  the  results  sim- 
ilar. A  picture  made  from  a  steel  plate. 
See  Copperplate  Engraving. 

Steel  Furniture — A  modern  improvement  on 
printer's  wood  and  soft  metal  furniture ; 
its  great  advantage  being  durability,  rigid- 
ity, and  usually  lighter  weight  than  the 
ordinary  metal.  Made  in  various  styles, 
for  which  see  dealers'  catalogues  ;  see  also 
Furniture. 

Stencil  —  A  sheet  of  strong  paper  or  thin 
metal  in  which  a  pattern  of  letters  or  other 
characters  are  cut  through  in  such  a  man- 
ner as  to  give  a  general  though  often  in- 
complete representation  of  the  design.  It 
is  used  by  laying  on  a  surface  and  brush- 
ing over  with  coloring  matter.  A  pattern 
produced  by  a  stencil. 

Stereotype — A  printing  plate  of  metal,  cast 
from  a  matrix  held  in  a  mould  while 
melted  stereotype  metal  is  poured  in.  The 
matrix  for  a  stereotype  is  made  by  taking 
an  impression  of  the  type  page,  form,  en- 
graving, or  other  surface,  on  a  specially 
prepared  thick  paper.  This  special  paper, 
called  a  Hong,  is  made  by  pasting  together 
several  sheets  of  strong  tissue  and  thick 
blotter-like  paper  with  a  prepared  paste. 


of  Technical  Terms        291 

This  sheet,  while  in  a  soft,  pulpy  state,  is 
laid  on  the  form,  covered  with  a  thick  felt 
blanket,  and  the  whole  put  into  a  strong 
press,  heated  by  steam  or  hot  air,  and 
allowed  to  set  and  dry.  A  matrix  may 
also  be  made  by  beating  the  flong  on  the 
form  with  a  strong,  fiat  brush.  When  the 
matrix  is  thoroughly  dry  it  is  trimmed  and 
placed  in  the  casting  box.  Stereot}'pes  to 
be  used  on  rotary  presses  are  cast  in 
curved  shape,  to  fit  the  cylinder  upon 
which  they  are  to  be  clamped  ;  so  that  the 
casting  box  must  conform  to  the  curve  of 
the  cylinder.  Stereotypes  are  now  chiefly 
used  by  daily  newspapers.  They  are  not 
so  well  adapted  as  electrotypes  for  book 
printing  and  general  commercial  work ; 
the  coarse  quality  of  the  stereo  matrix  and 
the  soft  metal  do  not  compare  with  the 
fine  wax  moulding  and  tough  copper  face 
of  electrotypes  ;  but  the  short  time  in 
which  stereotypes  can  be  made,  and  their 
cheapness,  make  them  well  adapted  for 
newspaper  work. 
Stereo  —  Abbreviation  of  stereot}-pe. 

Stereo  Chase  —  Extra  strong  and  thick,  for 
locking  up  forms  to  be  moulded  for  stere- 
otyping ;  foundry  chase,  electro  chase. 

Stereo  Flong  —  The  soft  prepared  sheet  of 
paper  used  to  make  a  stereo  matrix ; 
when  it  has  been  moulded  on  the  form 
and  dried  it  becomes  a  matrix. 


292  The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Stereo  Metal^ln  distinction  from  type  metal, 
stereo  metal  is  softer,  containing  a  larger 
percentage  of  lead,  a  small  quantity  of 
antimony,  and  little  or  no  tin. 

Stet — Written  opposite  a  word  in  proof,  to 
signify  that  it  is  wrongly  marked  out  and 
shall  remain. 

Stick  —  A  composing  stick. 

Sticker — A  small,  narrow  gummed  slip,  usu- 
ally printed,  to  paste  on  another  sheet  or 
object.  Before  the  days  of  the  Australian 
ballot  in  elections,  many  printers  did  a 
lively  but  brief  business  in  printing  stick- 
ers for  candidates  who  wished  to  get  their 
names  on  as  many  as  possible  of  the  ballot 
sheets  in  use  on  election  day. 

Stick/ill — An  amount  of  composed  type  that 
would  be  set  in  a  stick  at  one  time  ;  about 
two  inches  of  the  column. 

Stiffener  —  A  thick  card  inserted  in  a  cover, 
envelope,  or  similar  wrapper,  to  protect 
the  package  from  injury  by  bending  or 
breaking. 

Stipple — A  printing  surface  that  consists  of 
dots,  instead  of  lines.  The  dots  may  be 
fine  or  coarse,  to  give  effects  of  light  and 
dark.     Halftones  are  stipple  engravings. 

Stitcher — See  Wire  Stitcher. 

Stock  —  Paper,  cardboard,  or  other  material 
upon  which  printing  is  done. 


of  Technical  Terms        293 

Stock  Cut — An  electro  of  an  engraving,  orna- 
ment, or  other  design  kept  in  stock  by 
dealers.  It  costs  less  than  a  special  cut, 
as  it  is  one  of  a  number  of  duplicates. 
Type  founders,  electrotypers,  and  engrav- 
ing houses  supply  a  large  line  of  these. 

Stone  —  The  imposing  stone  ;  an  iron  impos- 
ing surface  may  be  sometimes  termed  a 
stone. 

Stone-hand — One  who  is  chiefly  employed  in 
imposing  and  other  work  on  the  stone. 

St07ie  Work  —  That  which  is  done  on  the 
imposing  stone  or  table,  like  making  up 
large  pages,  imposing  book  forms,  lock- 
ing up,  etc.  Before  placing  a  type  form  on 
the  stone,  it  should  be  corrected,  properly 
spaced  and  leaded,  and  securely  tied  up. 
The  surface  of  the  stone  should  be  per- 
fectly smooth  and  free  from  grit  and  dirt 
of  every  kind.  Pass  the  hand  over  it  to 
make  sure  that  there  is  nothing  to  pre- 
vent every  letter  of  the  form  being  planed 
level.  Also  be  sure  that  there  is  nothing 
on  the  bottom  of  the  type.  This  is  impor- 
tant, because,  if  there  is  anything  under 
a  letter  or  word  to  make  it  stick  up  higher 
than  its  mates,  it  will  be  battered  in  the 
planing  down  ;  if  the  form  goes  on  the 
press  with  the  letter  still  high,  the  hard 
impression  will  batter  it  still  further.  Next, 
place  the  chase  around  the  form,  and  put 
in  the  furniture.  If  it  is  a  single  page,  lay 


294  The  Printer's  Dictionary 

it  so  that  the  top  line  is  at  your  left  hand  ; 
then  place  four  pieces  of  furniture  around 
it  like  this : 


Next,  fill  in  with  furniture,  leaving  space 
enough  for  quoins  at  the  further  side  of 
the  form  and  at  the  foot  of  the  page.  Keep 
the  type  form  as  nearly  as  possible  in  the 
middle  of  the  chase.  If  there  is  any  vari- 
ation, let  the  page  be  a  little  below  the 
center  up  and  down.  In  order  to  secure 
an  even  impression  on  a  platen  press  the 
printing  surface  should  be  in  the  exact  im- 
pressional  center. 


H^^ZI^w 

^ 

i 

1 

Showing  arranpc 
quoin 


Lilt  ot  furniture  and 
n  a  form. 


After  the  furniture  and  quoins  are  prop- 
erly placed,  tighten  the  quoins  with  the 
fingers  and  work  your  hand  over  the  face 
of  the  form  to  straighten  up  any  lines 
that  may  not  be  exactly  on  their  feet. 
When  the  form  is  pressed  together  fairly 


of  Technical  Terms        295 

tight  in  this  manner,  plane  it  down  care- 
fully —  don't  hammer  it  down.  Then 
tighten  up  the  quoins  with  the  key,  begin- 
ning with  the  quoin  at  the  foot  of  the 
page,  No.  i;  then  tighten  No.  3,  and  No.  2 
next.  Do  not  tighten  up  quoins  with  great 
force  at  the  first  twist  of  the  key  ;  go  over 
them  several  times,  tightening  each  a  lit- 
tle at  a  time.  Do  not  lock  up  the  form 
tighter  than  is  necessar}^  to  make  it  firm  ; 
to  twist  the  quoins  with  such  force  as  to 
make  the  form  and  furniture  spring  up 
from  the  stone  will  make  it  difficult  to  get 
an  even  impression  later,  with  liability  to 
slur,  as  well  as  to  cause  spaces,  quads,  and 
other  blanks  to  work  up  on  the  press 
during  the  run. 

Do  not  place  a  metal  quoin  next  to  the 
iron  chase ;  if  it  must  come  close  to  the 
chase,  put  in  a  piece  of  reglet,  or  at  least 
a  strip  of  card.  Also,  in  every  case  when 
possible,  put  a  piece  of  reglet  between  the 
quoins  and  furniture,  either  wood  or 
metal.  This  will  save  the  furniture  from 
injurious  indentations  made  by  the  pres- 
sure of  the  quoins. 
Stop  Cylinder  —  A  st}'le  of  printing  machine 
in  which  the  cylinder  stops  after  making 
the  impression,  and  remains  stationary 
during  the  return  of  the  flat  bed  contain- 
ing the  form  ;  then  starts  again  with  the 
sheet  for  the  next  impression.  See  Cylin- 
der Press. 


296    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Stops  —  The  punctuation  marks  :  full  stop, 
the  period.    This  use  of  the  word  is  rare. 

Straight  Matter —  Plain  composition,  in  ordi- 
nary paragraph  form,  as  distinguished  from 
display,  or  that  set  in  special  arrangement. 

Stroker —  An  English  trade  name  for  a  press- 
man's bone  or  metal  feeder,  or  folder. 

Stud-horse —  Large,  black  type  display,  such 
as  used  for  auction  bills,  horse  sales,  etc.; 
Something  bolder  and  bigger  than  normal 
in  newspapers  and  other  work  where  small 
type  is  customar)'. 

Stuffer — A  slip  of  printed  advertising  matter, 
convenient  to  go  into  ordinar)'  envelopes 
and  be  sent  with  regular  business  corres- 
pondence or  to  accompany  special  adver- 
tising matter  through  the  mails.  Envelope 
staffers  are  used  in  this  way  to  take  advan- 
tage of  the  full  weight  permitted  by  the 
postal  rates.  Although  usually  a  slip  of 
paper,  a  stuffer  may  be  a  card,  folder,  or 
small  booklet,  so  that  it  does  not  call  for 
additional  postage  on  account  of  extra 
weight. 

Style  of  the  Office  —  In  order  to  maintain 
some  consistency  of  practice  in  the  multi- 
tude of  details  of  composition,  many  print- 
ing offices  have  rules, moreor  less  variable, 
concerning  spelling,  compounding,  divi- 
sions, use  of  capitals,  small  capitals,  ital- 
ics, headings,  paragraphing,  and  other 
matters    in   which   it   is   desired   to   pre- 


of  Technical  Terms        297 

serve  as  much  uniformity  as  practicable. 
A  style-card  or  style-book  may  be  prepared 
for  this  purpose,  or  for  a  certain  publica- 
tion, or  a  particular  kind  of  work. 

Stylus — A  sharp  pointed  instrument  for  writ- 
ing, for  scratching  on  a  surface  covered 
with  a  film  of  wax  or  similar  substance,  or 
for  writing  on  carbon  manifold  sheets. 

Sub. —  Abbreviation  for  substitute  ;  a  work- 
man who  takes  the  place  of  another  for  a 
short  time. 

Sub-head —  A  setondary  heading  or  title  ; 
usually  put  in  type  smaller  or  less  promi- 
nent than  main  heading.  It  may  be  in  a 
line  by  itself,  or  at  the  beginning  of  a  par- 
agraph, as  a  side-head. 

Subscriber  —  One  who  contributes  to  an  en- 
terprise, or  pays  for  a  book,  magazine,  or 
newspaper  for  a  stated  term. 

Subscription  Books  —  Those  sold  directly  to 
patrons  by  arrangement  with  the  publish- 
ers or  their  agents  —  usually  book  agents 
who  go  from  house  to  house ;  as  distin- 
guished from  books  on  sale  at  usual  stores. 

Super  Royal —  A  size  of  writing  paper  larger 
than  royal,  20  x  28  inches.  A  size  of  platen 
press,  15x21  inches,  is  sometimes  termed 
a  half  super  royal. 

Supercalendered — When  paper  has  been  given 
an  extra  smooth  finish  or  glaze  in  the  cal- 
ender rolls  during  manufacture  it  is  said 
to  be  supercalendered.    See  S.  6-  S.  C. 


298   The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Siiperfine  —  A  term  denoting  extra  good  qual- 
ity in  paper,  card,  or  other  material. 

Superior  Letters,  or  Figures.  —  Small  letters 
cast  on  the  upper  part  of  the  body,  ^  J  * 
for  references,  etc.  Those  cast  below  the 
line  are  inferiors.    Briefly,  superiors. 

Supplement  —  An  extra  sheet  or  addition  to  a 
newspaper,  magazine,  or  other  publication. 
It  may  be  a  picture,  a  pamphlet,  or  a  broad- 
side, and  be  uniform  with  or  entirely  dif- 
ferent from  the  regular  publication. 

Surfaced  Paper  or  Card — That  which  is 
treated  with  a  coating,  either  white  or  col- 
ored, and  highly  polished  ;  coated  paper. 

Swash  Letters — Italic  capitals  with  little  flour- 
ishes which  fill  up  the  gaps  made  by  the 
inclination  of  the  letters,  etc.  They  are 
often  furnished  as  extra  characters  for 
several  kinds  of  italic,  and  are  best  used 
for  occasional  places  only ;  when  used 
profusely  or  indiscriminately  their  decor- 
ative efifect  is  easilv  spoiled. 

Syllable  —  A  part  of  a  word,  which  may  be 
spoken  by  one  effort  of  the  voice  ;  it  may 
be  represented  by  one  letter  (a  vowel)  or 
by  a  number  of  letters.  In  type-setting,  the 
division  of  words  at  the  ends  of  lines  is 
made  between  two  syllables,  never  prop- 
erly in  the  middle  of  a  syllable. 

Sympathetic  Ink — See  Invisible  Ink. 


of  Technical  Terms        299 

Table  —  An  orderly  arrangement  of  top- 
ics, with  figures  in  two  or  more  vertical 
columns ;  a  list,  an  index,  a  collection  of 
headings  or  numbers,  a  catalogue,  a  sylla- 
bus, a  synopsis,  etc. 

Table  of  Contents  —  A  list  or  summary  of  the 
chapters,  with  titles,  subjects,  and  page 
numbers,  placed  in  the  front  of  a  book. 
See  Index. 

Table  Work  —  Lists  of  items  arranged  in  col- 
umns, which  are  sometimes  separated  by 
blank  spaces  and  sometimes  divided  by 
light  ruled  lines.  Composition  of  this  kind 
requires  more  care  than  straight  matter, 
on  account  of  the  nicety  of  justification 
needed  to  keep  the  columns  in  true  align- 
ment and  to  make  the  page  lock  up  solidly. 

Tacky  —  Said  of  the  condition  of  a  printing 
roller  when  it  has  the  right  degree  of  stick- 
iness to  take  up  and  carry  ink. 

Tail —  The  bottom  of  a  page. 

Tail-piece  —  A  small  cut  or  ornament  at  the 
end  of  a  chapter  ;  the  decorative  design  at 
the  bottom  of  a  page.  There  are  many  stock 
designs  available,  mostly  in  the  style  of  an 
inverted  pyramid.    See  Head-piece. 

Take  —  When  copy  is  divided  among  several 
compositors,  each  part  is  a  take. 

Take  In  —  To  thin  space  a  line  in  order  to 
get  in  a  syllable  or  word.  To  drive  out  is 
to  wide  space  and  put  the  syllable  or  word 
into  the  next  line. 


300  The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Tall  Copy  —  A  specially  good  copy  of  an  edi- 
tion. In  the  early  days  of  printing  the 
sheets  of  paper,  being  made  by  hand,  varied 
more  or  less  in  size ;  often  there  were  dif- 
ferences of  an  inch  or  more  in  the  same 
lot.  When  the  sheets  for  a  book  were  gath- 
ered, those  with  wide  margins  and  which 
matched  the  best  were  selected  for  choice 
copies  ;  some  books  were  tall,  some  wide, 
and  others  had  very  scant  margins.  Hence, 
any  specially  made  book  at  a  high  price. 

Tarcolin — A  proprietary  name  for  a  washing 
fluid  for  type  forms,  etc. 

Technique,  or  Technic  —  The  principles  and 
practice  of  a  craft  or  manual  art. 

Telegraph  —  In  newspaper  parlance,  news 
or  other  matter  transmitted  by  telegraph  ; 
copy  of  this  nature  furnished  to  the  com- 
positor, usually  on  thin  sheets  of  paper. 

Terminology  —  The  peculiar  words,  or  tech- 
nical terms,  with  their  explanations,  used 
in  a  science,  art,  or  trade. 

Ternion — An  old-time  bookish  term  for  three 
four-page  sheets  set  into  each  other.  A 
quaternion  is  four  sheets  and  quinternion 
five  sheets  thus  arranged.  In  the  early 
days  of  printing,  books  could  be  printed 
in  forms  of  one  or  two  pages  only,  because 
of  the  small,  rude  presses.  As  a  collection 
of  single  folded  sheets  sewed  side  by  side 
does  not  make  a  strong  binding,  it  was  the 
custom  to  arrange  the  pages  so  that  a  num- 


of  Technical  Terms        301 

ber  of  sheets  nested  in  each  other,  like  the 
signature  of  later  times,  and  these  sections 
were  then  more  strongly  sewed.  This 
method  of  printing  booklets  and  pam- 
phlets has  always  been  in  vogue,  but  the 

•    term  is  now  obsolete. 

Text — The  body  matter  of  a  page  or  of  a 
book,  as  distinguished  from  titles,  head- 
ings, notes,  extracts,  references,  indexes, 
and  other  auxiliary  matter.  The  word  text 
is  also  used  to  describe  the  Old  English 
or  black  letter  style  of  type,  probably  from 
the  fact  that  the  text  of  the  first  books  was 
printed  in  black  letter.  These  two  differ- 
ent meanings  of  the  word  often  lead  to  con- 
fusion, as  "text  letter"  may  mean  any  kind 
of  type  used  for  the  body  of  a  page,  or  it 
may  mean  a  display  line  set  in  a  black  let- 
ter. It  would  seem  that  the  term  in  the  lat- 
ter signification  may  well  be  discarded. 

Thick  Leads — Those  over  2-point;  thin  leads 
are  usually  understood  as  those  less  than 
2-point,  the  2-point  being  the  normal  or 
common  lead.  See  Leads. 

Thick  Space  —  The  3-to-em  of  any  body  ;  4-to- 
em,  5-to-em,  etc.,  are  thin  spaces. 

Thirty.,  or  "jo  "  —  When  a  telegraphic  news 
dispatch  is  received,  its  completion  is  indi- 
cated by  the  number  30.  Hence,  in  a 
newspaper  composing  room,  when  thirty 
is  in  it  is  a  signal  to  close  the  forms  and 
go  to  press. 


302   The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Thirty-twomo — A  sheet  folded  in  thirty-two 
leaves,  making  a  small  size  book,  about 
3^  X  4^  inches;  32nio. 

Three-color  Printing  —  The  process  of  repro- 
ducing a  picture  or  drawing  in  many  colors 
photo-mechanically  with  three  separate 
printing  plates,  each  plate  being  used  for 
a  different  color— that  is,  one  of  the  three 
primary  colors,  red,  yellow,  or  blue.  The 
process  begins  with  making  three  photo- 
graphic negatives  of  the  copy,  focused 
exactly  alike.  Each  of  these  negatives  re- 
produces one  of  the  three  color  values  of 
the  picture.  These  three  colors  —  yellow, 
red,  blue  —  are  chosen  because  their  mix- 
ture in  varying  proportions  will  reproduce 
all  the  other  colors  of  the  spectrum,  with 
little  loss  to  their  real  values.  In  making 
these  negatives  colored  screens  or  filters 
are  used  between  the  negative  and  the 
copy.  For  the  yellow  negative  a  color  fil- 
ter is  used  to  shut  out  the  yellow  rays  and 
allow  only  the  red  and  blue  rays  to  pass 
through.  For  the  red  negative  the  filter 
admits  only  the  blue  and  yellow  rays,  and 
for  the  blue  negative  only  the  yellow  and 
red  rays.  On  these  negatives  the  colors  fil- 
tered out  form  the  transparent  part  of  the 
negative,  just  as  black  is  the  transparent 
part  of  an  ordinary'  photographic  negative. 
Halftone  plates  are  then  made  from  these 
negatives  by  the  usual  process.  The  yel- 
low plate  is  printed  first,  then  the  red,  and 


of  Technical  Terms        303 

the  blue  last.  As  a  result  of  printing  these 
colors  one  over  another,  the  engraved  sur- 
face of  each  plate  taking  on  its  different 
parts  just  the  right  amount  of  its  color  to 
combine  with  the  others,  the  picture  is 
produced  in  its  original  colors.  The  proc- 
ess has  been  developed  within  the  past 
thirty  years,  the  first  plates  having  been 
made  by  Mr.  Frederick  Ives  of  Philadel- 
phia, about  1880.  Much  skill  is  needed 
in  making  the  plates,  and  they  require 
more  or  less  manipulation  in  etching  dif- 
ferent parts  in  order  to  produce  correct 
color  values.  Expert  skill  is  required  also 
in  the  printing  of  three-color  plates,  in  or- 
der to  produce  good  results  —  just  the 
right  color  and  quantity  of  ink,  just  the 
right  impression,  and  absolutely  exact  reg- 
ister. See  Quadri-color. 

Three-line  Letter — A  large  initial  letter  at  the 
beginning  of  a  paragraph,  the  depth  of 
three  lines  of  the  text. 

Throwing  Quads  —  To  play  at  dice  with 
quads ;  jeffing. 

Throw-off" —  A  lever  attachment  on  a  press 
by  which  the  relative  positions  of  the  form 
and  platen  can  be  slightly  changed  while 
the  press  is  running,  so  that  no  impression 
is  made.  See  Lnpression  Throw-off. 

Thorne  Type-Setting  Machine  —  See  Simplex 
Type-Setter. 


304  The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Thumbnail  Cut—  Any  small  cut.  of  a  sketchy 
style,  such  as  may  be  used  on  the  margin 
of  a  page,  etc. 

Ticket  —  A  small  piece  of  printed  card  or 
strong  paper.  Tickets  are  used  for  a  mul- 
titude of  purposes  and  form  a  staple  item 
in  all  offices  doing  small  job  work.  The 
great  bulk  of  ticket  printing  is,  however, 
specialty  work,  done,  for  the  most  part, 
with  special  machines.  In  the  case  of  street 
car  tickets,  railroad  tickets,  theater  tickets, 
and  the  like,  there  are  requirements  of  slit- 
ting, perforating,  serial  and  consecutive 
numbering,  etc.,  in  addition  to  the  word- 
ing or  design  of  the  ticket  itself.  In  many 
cases  safety  devices,  which  make  them 
difficult  to  duplicate  or  counterfeit,  are 
necessary,  and  the  method  of  manufacture 
must  be  well  guarded  against  theft. 

Tilde — The  small  curve  on  the  top  of  the 
Spanish  n  "'.  See  Spanish  N. 

Time  Ticket — A  slip  or  memo,  upon  which 
a  workman  records  the  time  spent  on  a 
given  piece  of  work,  or  a  number  of  jobs. 
Each  department  of  a  printing  house  has 
a  specially  prepared  blank  for  this  pur- 
pose, and  the  filling  out  of  records  of  this 
kind  is  now  required  of  all  workmen,  in 
order  to  ascertain  the  proper  charges. 

Time  Work  —  That  which  is  paid  for  by  the 
hour,  day,  or  week,  in  distinction  from 
piece  work. 


of  Technical  Terms 


Tin  T'rmfmg—'Pr'mtmg  on  tin  is  done  by  an 
off-set  process.  The  impression  is  made 
first  from  a  relief-plate  or  litho  stone  on  to 
a  rubber-covered  cylinder,  and  from  this 
cylinder  the  impression  is  transferred  to 
the  tin  sheet.  The  rubber  takes  a  clear 
impression  from  the  original,  and  its  elas- 
tic surface  gives  a  smooth  and  true  impres- 
sion on  the  hard,  uneven  tin  surface.  The 
work  is  a  specialty  and  is  done  on  specially 
built  presses. 

Tin-plate  Printing —  The  use  of  zinc  and  alu- 
minum instead  of  stone  for  lithographic 
printing  is  sometimes  so  called. 

Tint — A  degree  of  any  color  lighter  than  nor- 
mal, as  when  white  is  added  ;  when  the 
color  is  darkened  by  adding  black  it  is  a 
shade. 

Tijit  Block— An  engraved,  grained,  or  flat 
plate  or  electro  for  printing  a  faint  color, 
either  as  a  background  or  to  fill  panels  or 
other  parts  in  a  design. 

Tissue  —  A  thin  sheet  of  paper  used  to  cover 
the  face  of  an  engraving  or  plate  in  the 
better  class  of  books.  It  is  made  of  spe- 
cial qualities  for  this  purpose. 

Title  Letter —  A  roman  face,  of  capitals  and 
figures  only,  slightly  heavier  than  ordinary 
book  letter,  originally  designed  for  title 
pages,  headings,  etc.  Any  type  face  spe- 
cially designed  for  titles  and  headings. 


3o6  The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Title  Page —  The  page  at  the  beginning  of  a 
book  which  describes  the  work,  usually 
with  the  author's  name,  publisher's  im- 
print, date  of  issue,  etc. 

Title  Sheet—  The  first  signature  or  sheet  of 
a  book,  which  contains  the  title  page  and 
other  front  matter. 

Token  —  Half  a  ream  of  paper.  The  term  is 
going  out  of  use.  Formerly  a  token  was  240 
sheets,  but  of  late  years  paper  has  been 
made  500  sheets  to  the  ream,  and  a  token 
is  one  half  of  that. 

Tooling  —  To  re-engrave  or  touch  up  parts 
of  an  engraving  with  a  hand  tool ;  to  em- 
bellish a  book  cover  by  means  of  small 
hand  tools. 

Toned  Paper  —  A  lightly  tinted  paper  of  any 
color. 

Top  Sheet —  The  outside  sheet  in  the  prepa- 
ration of  a  tympan  or  cylinder  packing ; 
it  usually  covers  the  overlays  and  other 
make-ready.  Also  called  draw  sheet. 

Transo  Envelope  —  A  trade  name  for  an  en- 
velope having  on  its  face  a  transparent 
panel  through  which  a  written  or  printed 
address  on  the  sheet  inside  may  be  seen. 
Also  called  outlook  envelope. 

Transfer  —  To  take  an  impression  of  a  form, 
plate,  or  drawing  and  transfer  it  mechan- 
ically to  another  plate  or  flat  surface.  This 


of  Technical  Terms        307 

is  done  in  various  ways  for  many  differ- 
ent purposes  in  printing.  The  simplest 
method  of  transferring  an  impression  is 
to  take  a  proof  of  the  original  on  a  sheet 
of  smooth  paper  of  good  quality,  and, 
while  the  ink  is  still  moist,  lay  it  face  down 
on  the  plate  or  surface  upon  which  it  is 
desired  to  be  transferred.  Then  place  this 
under  pressure,  as  on  a  hand-press,  with 
sufficient  force  to  make  the  ink  adhere  to 
the  plate.  This  is  a  convenient  method 
when  it  is  desired  to  make  a  tint  block  or 
color  plate  for  a  job.  The  electro  found- 
ries and  supply  houses  furnish  blank  metal 
plates  for  the  purpose.  When  the  transfer 
impression  is  thoroughly  dry,  the  plate  is 
cut  out  or  engraved,  according  to  the 
necessities  of  the  design.  The  plate  is  first 
mounted  on  a  block,  like  an  electro. 
When  it  is  desired  to  transfer  a  print  or 
drawing  on  which  the  ink  is  dry,  the  back 
of  the  print  is  moistened  with  benzine,  or 
a  solution  of  lye,  or  some  fluid  which  will, 
soften  the  ink  enough  to  permit  it  to  off- 
set on  the  new  surface.  Sometimes  the 
transfer  may  be  made  by  rubbing  the  back 
of  the  sheet  with  a  burnisher,  instead  of 
by  mechanical  pressure.  Several  methods 
of  printing  are  based  on  the  transfer  or 
offset  principle.  See  Rubber  Offset  Press, 
Wall-Paper  Printing.  A  process  of  trans- 
ferring to  glass,  china,  marble,  etc,  by 
which  the  design  is  made  to  adhere  to  the 


3oS   The  Printer's  Dictionary 

new  surface  while  the  paper  is  dissolved 
and  washed  away,  thus  leaving  all  the  ink 
or  paint  of  the  original,  is  called  decalco- 
mania. 

Transfer  Ink  —  A  special  ink  used  in  litho- 
graphic work  ;  sometimes  called  iuscJie.  It 
is  usually  a  compound  of  lampblack,  shel- 
lac, wax,  soap,  tallow,  etc. 

Transfer  Paper —  A  paper  specially  finished, 
upon  which  designs  are  printed  or  drawn 
in  transfer  ink,  to  be  transferred  to  a  litho- 
graphic stone  or  metal  plate.  Also  a  car- 
bon sheet  or  similarly  prepared  paper. 

Transpose — To  change  a  letter,  word,  phrase, 
etc.,  from  one  place  to  another,  as  marked 
on  copy  or  proof ;  the  abbreviation  tr.  is 
marked  on  the  margin.  See  Proof  Readers 
Marks. 

Treadle  —  A  foot  lever  by  which  a  machine 
may  be  operated. 

Triple  Case  —  A  type  case  divided  into  three 
sections,  instead  of  two  like  the  common 
cap.  case,  each  having  the  boxes  for  hold- 
ing a  font  of  capitals ;  used  for  fonts  of 
lining  gothics  and  similar  fonts  of  capitals, 
as  well  as  for  special  characters,  accents, 
fractions,  signs,  etc. 

Triangular  Quads  —  These  are  useful  some- 
times when  it  is  necessary  to  justify  mat- 
ter beside  a  diagonal  rule  or  border,  ^^h 
or  for  holding  a  word  or  line  in  a  |^^^ 
form  at  an  angle.  ^^^ 


of  Technical  Terms        309 

Tri-chromatic  Printing — Three-color  printing. 

Tub-sized — Said  of  paper  that  has  been  sized 
by  passing  through  a  tub  or  vat.  See  Size, 

Turned  Commas  [  "  ]  —  Used  at  the  begin- 
ning of  quotations  ;  apostrophes  are  used 
at  the  end.  Turned  commas  are  often  used 
to  signify  ditto  in  catalogue  tables  and 
other  places  where  a  repetition  of  the 
words  of  a  top  line  are  deemed  unneces- 
sary, thus : 

6-point  roman  type,  per  lb.  64  cts. 

7  "  "  "  "       56    " 

8  «  .  .  .       53    " 

Turn  for  Sorts  —  When  a  letter  runs  short, 
or  there  is  none  in  the  case,  and  it  will  be 
provided  later,  another  letter  of  the  same 
thickness  is  placed  in  the  line  face  down- 
ward, thus:  turned.  It  is  the  rule  in  all 
composing  rooms,  when  a  letter  has  been 
taken  from  a  live  page  to  be  put  in  another, 
there  should  be  a  turned  type  inserted  to 
show  the  absence  of  the  proper  letter. 

Turps — Abbreviation  for  turpentine  ;  a  word 
common  in  British  printing  houses,  where 
turpentine  is  used  to  wash  type,  cuts,  etc. 

Turtle  —  A  section  of  the  surface  of  a  large 
cylinder  on  the  old-time  type -revolving 
press.  Newspaper  pages  were  made  up  on 
these  curved  surfaces,  the  columns  run- 
ning laterally  along  the  cylinder  surface. 
Column  rules  were  thin  at  the  bottom  and 


3IO  The  Printer's  Dictionary 

thick  at  the  top,  allowing  a  slight  curvature 
from  column  to  column  across  the  page. 
The  bottoms  of  the  column  rules  extended 
beyond  the  face  and  the  ends  were  fast- 
ened in  the  frame-work  of  the  turtle  ;  this, 
together  with  firm  lock-up  at  the  foot  of 
each  column,  kept  the  type  in  place  dur- 
ing its  revolutions  in  printing.  See  Type- 
Revolving  Press. 

Turtle  Plate — A  curved  stereotype  or  electro- 
plate to  fit  the  cylinder  of  a  rotar)-  press. 

Tweezers — Small  spring  nippers  for  occa- 
sional use  to  pick  up  type,  etc.  The  hand- 
iest thing  ever  invented  for  injuring  t)-pe. 
An  apprentice  who  thinks  tweezers  are 
better  than  his  fingers  to  pick  up  type  and 
correct  on  the  galley  should  be  forbidden 
to  use  tweezers  except  under  supervision  ; 
when  they  are  needed,  he  should  be  shown 
their  proper  use  and  carefulness  insisted 
upon. 

Twelvemo — A  sheet  folded  into  twelve  leaves, 
the  leaf  being  about  5x7  i  j  inches  ;  a  duo- 
decimo ;  written  also  12  mo.  A  form  for 
printing  a  sheet  of  this  kind  is  termed  a 
form  of  twelves  —  twelve  pages  on  one  side 
and  twelve  on  the  other. 

Tweniy-fo7irvio—h  sheet  folded  into  twenty- 
four  leaves  ;  written  2  4mo. 

Two-third  Case  —  A  type  case  two  thirds  the 
width  of  the  regular  size ;  usually  to  fit 
special  cabinets. 


of  Technical  Terms 


Two-luie  Letter —  An  initial  or  letter  covering 
two  lines  of  the  text  matter.  It  should  be 
observed  that  a  letter  on  a  body  twice  the 
size  of  the  text  is  not  always  two-line  on  its 
face  ;  the  real  two-line,  three-line,  etc.,  has 
a  large  face  and  relatively  little  shoulder. 

Two-thirder  —  A  workman  who  is  not  a  full 
fledged  journeyman ;  an  advanced  ap- 
prentice, to  whom  is  paid  about  two  thirds 
of  a  journeyman's  wage. 

Tyiiig  Up  —  To  bind  together  a  page  of  com- 
posed t}-pe  with  a  string.  This  is  one  of 
the  first  things  the  apprentice  should  learn 
to  do,  and  he  should  learn  to  do  it  prop- 
erly. It  is  not  a  difficult  trick,  after  a  little 
practice,  and  probably  no  other  detail  of 
a  compositor's  work  exhibits  his  habit  of 
carefulness  or  carelessness.  When  the 
page  is  completed  on  the  galley,  hold  one 
end  of  the  string  on  the  exposed  corner 
(the  end  of  the  last  line),  about  half  way 
down  on  the  shank  of  the  t}-pe.  Then  wind 
the  string  around  the  top  of  the  page  and 
down  the  lower  side,  till  it  reaches  the 
starting  point ;  here  cross  it  over  the  first 
turn  and  wind  around  again,  two,  three, 
four,  or  more  times  around  the  page,  ac- 
cording to  the  strength  of  the  string  and 
the  size  of  the  page.  Each  turn  of  the 
string  should  cross  the  first  turn  at  the 
corner,  so  as  to  bind  it.  With  the  left  hand 
this  corner  of  the  page  should  be  held 


312    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

securely,  while  the  string  is  drawn  around 
firmly  and  evenly,  but  not  too  tight.  When 
enough  turns  of  the  string  are  around  the 
page,  a  loop  is  formed  and  pushed  in  be- 
hind the  string  and  the  type,  just  around 
one  corner ;  this  loop  is  then  draw  up 
tightly  at  the  corner,  so  that  it  will  hold. 
The  string  should  be  about  at  the  middle 
of  the  shank  of  the  type  all  around  the 
page,  and  care  should  be  exercised  to  pre- 
vent a  loose  end  from  getting  under  the 
type  when  proof  is  pulled. 
Tympan — The  sheets  of  paper,  card,  cloth, 
or  other  material,  that  cover  the  platen  or 
cylinder  of  a  press,  and  on  which  the  pa- 
per is  placed  to  receive  the  impression  ; 
also  a  cloth-covered  frame  attached  to  the 
bed  of  a  hand  press.  On  a  cylinder  press 
this  feature  is  usually  termed  the  packing. 
A  soft  tympan,  consisting  of  six  or  seven 
sheets  of  common  book  paper  and  two  or 
more  sheets  of  soft  card  or  blotter,  is  used 
for  cheap  work  of  ordinary  grades,  as  it 
will  readily  cushion  itself  to  any  unequal 
heights  of  the  printing  form  and  requires 
less  make-ready  than  a  hard  tympan.  A 
soft  tympan  will,  however,  usually  wear 
down  the  form  quicker  than  a  hard  tym- 
pan that  has  a  careful  make-ready.  A  hard 
tympan  will  consist  of  three  or  four  sheets 
of  smooth  book  paper  and  a  sheet  of  hard 
bristol  or  pressboard.  When  the  tympan 
is  hard  the  make-ready  should  be  done 


of  Technical  Terms 


^3 


with  care,  cutting  out  the  high  parts  and 
underlaying  or  overlaying  the  low  places, 
to  make  the  impression  as  even  as  pos- 
sible all  over  the  printing  surface.  The  top 
sheet  of  a  tympan  should  be  strong  enough 
to  stretch  tightly  over  the  under  sheets,  to 
hold  gauges  firmly,  and  to  withstand  the 
rubbing  and  handling  it  may  receive  dur- 
ing the  run.  For  short  runs  of  small  forms, 
up  to  two  thousand  impressions,  a  top 
sheet  of  common  book  paper  will  usually 
stand  the  wear,  but  for  long  runs  the  top 
sheet  should  be  of  good  manila  or  other 
smooth,  strong  paper.  The  style  of  the 
press  and  its  condition,  as  well  as  the  kind 
of  work  to  be  done,  will  require  many  va- 
riations, often  very  slight,  in  the  character 
of  the  tympan  ;  these  details  can  only  be 
learned  by  experience  and  observation, 
but  carefulness  and  forethought  are  indis- 
pensable to  avoid  poor  results. 

Tympalyn  —  A  trade  name  for  a  specially 
prepared  cylinder  and  platen  covering.  It 
is  a  composition  of  small  wire  springs  and 
rubber  cloth,  made  in  thick  sheets  and 
fastened  under  the  top  or  draw  sheet. 

Type  —  Printers'  types  are  small  pieces  of 
metal,  each  having  a  letter  or  other  char- 
acter in  relief  on  one  end.  They  are  made 
of  many  sizes,  but  all  must  be  of  exactly 
the  same  length,  so  that  when  they  are 
assembled  in  lines  and  pages  their  faces 


314  The  Printer's  Dictionary 


shall  present  a  uniform  plane  surface  to  be 
printed  from.  The  character  which  each 
type  is  intended  to  print  is  called  its  face. 
As  there  must  always  be  more  or  less  white 
space  around  the  letter, 
this  face  does  not  oc- 
cupy all  the  body,  or 
shank,  but  is  placed  so 
that  the  printed  charac- 
ter will  be  in  its  proper 
position  beside  its  mates 
of  the  same  font.  Other 
features  of  a  cast  metal 
type  are  named  and  ex- 
plained in  the  diagram. 
The  groove  between  the 
feet  of  the  type  is  made 
by  breaking  off  the  jet 
which  remains  when  it 
is  cast.  On  large  sizes 
the  pin-mark  often  has 
figures  denoting  the  size 
in  points  ;  sometimes  it  may  have  a  letter 
or  device  signifying  the  foundry  where 
it  was  made.  The  utility  of  types  depends 
upon  their  absolute  accuracy,  and  the 
squareness  of  each  type  and  of  any  num- 
ber of  them  in  any  combination.  They 
must  be  not  only  exactly  uniform  as  to 
height  of  face,  but  their  bodies  must  be 
so  made  that  when  they  are  assembled  in 
lines  and  pages  by  the  compositor  hun- 
dreds or  thousands  of  them  may  be  locked 


A  A,  the  face 
B  B,  the  serifs 
c  c,  the  counter 
E,  the  pin-mark 
F  F,  the  beard 
c;,  the  shoulder 
K,  the  nick 
J  J,  the  feet 
K,  the  grove 


of  Technical  Terms        315 

together  by  pressure  at  the  sides  in  a  per- 
fectly compact  mass,  and  none  be  loose 
and  fall  out.  A  type  that  is  cast  longer  or 
shorter  than  its  mates  is  high-to-paper 
or  low-to-paper.  A  type  that  is  low  will 
print  faintly  or  will  not  show  at  all ;  one 
that  is  high  will  be  unduly  forced  into  the 
sheet.  Types  are  made  from  an  alloy  of 
lead,  tin,  antimony,  and  sometimes  cop- 
per—  a  composition  which,  when  melted, 
fills  the  mould  exactly  and  shrinks  very 
slightly  in  cooling,  leaving  a  smooth,  close- 
grained  surface  that  is  durable  enough  to 
give  many  impressions  without  breaking 
down.  Hard  metal  is  important,  yet  it 
must  not  be  so  brittle  that  types  will  break 
when  dropped  or  fine  lines  snap  off  when 
exposed  to  pressure.  Small  types  are  com- 
monly of  harder  metal  than  large  types. 
Other  materials  used  with  type  —  leads, 
slugs,  and  the  backing  of  electroplates  — 
have  a  larger  proportion  of  lead  and  are 
softer.  Large  types  for  show-cards  and 
posters  are  made  of  wood  of  various  kinds. 
See  Wood  Type. 

Type  High — The  height  of  type  in  America 
is  .918  of  an  inch.  Electros,  engravings, 
and  other  forms  to  be  printed  on  a  typo- 
graphic press  should  conform  to  the  type- 
high  standard.  Type-high  gauges,  useful 
articles  in  any  composing  or  press  room, 
are  made  in  a  number  of  styles. 


3i6  The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Type  Founding — The  casting  or  manufacture 
of  printing  type.  For  a  long  time  after  the 
invention  of  typography,  type  founding, 
printing,  and  binding  were  included  in  the 
general  term  of  printing ;  printers  cast 
their  own  types  and  printed  and  bound 
the  books.  Type  founding  became  a  dis- 
tinct vocation  early  in  the  seventeenth 
century. 

Two  chief  things  are  required  to  cast  a 
type — a  mould,  in  which  the  body  is  cast ; 
and  a  matrix,  which  faces  one  side  of  the 
mould  and  has  in  it  a  depressed  image  of 
the  letter  to  be  cast.  The  mould  is  made 
in  two  movable  sections,  which  are  fitted 
together  in  such  a  manner  as  to  close  up 
before  the  cast  is  made  and  then  open  suf- 
ficiently to  release  the  type  after  casting. 
It  is  made  of  fine  steel  and  requires  skilled 
work.  Owing  to  the  high  temperature  to 
which  it  is  subjected,  every  piece  of  steel 
(a  mould  usually  is  made  of  twelve  or  fif- 
teen pieces)  must  be  carefully  hardened 
and  tempered,  and  allowance  must  be  made 
for  expansion  and  contraction  of  its  parts 
in  such  a  manner  as  not  to  affect  the  ac- 
curacy of  the  type  which  is  cast  in  it.  Ab- 
solute accuracy  in  every  part  is  vitally  im- 
portant. Each  piece  is  carefully  ground 
to  a  velvety  smoothness  and  the  parts  of 
each  section  fastened  solidly  by  means  of 
steel  screws.  The  weight  of  a  mould  varies 
from  one  to  three  pounds,  according  to  the 


of  Technical  Terms        317 

size  of  type  to  be  made  in  it.  The  matrix 
covers  an  opening  at  one  side  of  the  mould, 
and  on  the  opposite  side  (which  is  the  foot 
of  the  type)  is  an  opening  through  which 
the  melted  metal  is  injected.  To  insure 
a  solid  body  and  clear,  sharp  face,  this 
opening,  or  jet-hole,  must  be  in  right  pro- 
portion to  the  size  of  the  type  to  be  cast. 
A  type  mould  is  made  for  a  single  size  of 
body,  but  is  made  adjustable  sideways  to 
correspond  to  the  different  widths  of  let- 
ters of  a  font.  One  mould  may  be  used 
to  cast  all  the  characters  of  a  font,  or  of 
any  number  of  fonts  of  the  same  size  body, 
by  simply  changing  matrices  for  the  faces. 
Each  mould  must  be  not  only  true  for  the 
type-body  it  is  to  cast,  but  it  must  agree 
exactly  with  every  other  mould  for  the 
same  size  of  body,  because,  in  a  large 
foundry,  a  number  of  moulds  may  be  used 
for  casting  one  size  of  type. 
As  the  matrix  is  the  pattern  of  the  face  to 
be  cast,  it  will  be  seen  that  it  is  the  really 
important  item  in  modern  type-founding. 
Type-faces  are  many,  and  every  week  new 
ones  are  appearing.  With  the  production 
of  each  new  letter  or  character  a  new  ma- 
trix is  required,  and  every-day  use  of  pop- 
ular faces  injures  or  destroys  many  others. 
Matrices  are  made  by  different  methods. 
The  older  method  is  by  cutting  the  letter 
on  the  end  of  a  small  bar  of  soft  steel, 
which  is  hardened  when  the  letter  has  been 


3i8   The  Printer's  Dictionary 

perfected,  and  is  then  used  to  stamp  into 
a  bar  of  copper.  This  strike,  as  it  is  called, 
is  the  matrix  in  the  rough.  When  it  is 
smoothed  down  around  the  sunken  impres- 
sion, with  its  sides  trued  up  and  finished, 
it  is  ready  to  be  placed  into  the  mould. 
This  method  of  making  matrices  has  been 
the  one  commonly  employed  for  standard 
faces  of  body  type  in  large  demand,  as, 
after  the  steel  punch  is  made,  it  is  the 
quickest  way  of  producing  a  matrix. 
The  electrotype  method  consists,  first,  in 
securing  a  perfect  pattern  of  the  letter. 
This  pattern  may  be  engraved  by  hand  or 
by  mechanical  means,  or  it  may  be  a  per- 
fect type-face  already  cast.  A  brass  plate 
(i^  t0  2i^  inches  long,  y^  to  \%  inches 
wide,  and  ^  inch  thick)  with  a  square 
hole  near  one  end,  is  then  provided,  and 
the  pattern  letter  so  fitted  in  this  opening 
that  it  will  have  some  open  space  around 
its  face.  A  number  of  these  brass  plates, 
with  their  pattern  letters,  are  then  ar- 
ranged and  fastened  side  by  side  in  a 
flask.  This  flask  is  next  entirely  covered 
over  with  wax,  except  at  the  square  open- 
ings in  the  brass  plates.  These  openings, 
containing  the  faces  of  the  pattern  letters, 
are  thus  exposed,  and  the  flask  is  then 
hung  on  a  rod  in  an  electro  battery.  Here 
the  copper,  held  in  solution  of  minute  par- 
ticles, is  deposited  on  the  exposed  portions 
of  the  flask  until  it  forms  a  thick  shell  and 


of  Technical  Terms        319 

fills  up  the  spaces  between  the  sides  of  the 
square  and  the  patterns.  In  a  few  days 
(often  weeks,  according  to  the  size  of  the 
matrix),  the  flask  is  taken  out,  the  wax 
removed,  and  the  pattern  letter  withdrawn 
from  its  copper  bed,  leaving  a  perfect 
image  in  copper  securely  fitted  in  the  brass 
plate.  This  brass  plate  is  now  an  unfin- 
ished matrix,  and  requires  to  be  smoothed 
off  on  all  sides,  reinforced  by  another 
brass  strip  riveted  on  its  back,  and  finally 
fitted  for  the  mould. 

The  third  method  of  making  a  matrix  is 
with  a  matrix-cutting  machine,  invented 
by  Mr.  L.  B.  Benton  and  used  by  the  Amer- 
ican Type  Founders  Company.  In  the 
upper  part  of  this  machine  is  placed  a  bar 
of  metal  composition  —  the  future  matrix. 
Above  this,  pointing  downward  at  the 
proper  position,  is  a  rapidly  revolving 
hardened  steel  needle  which  cuts  the  de- 
sign in  the  matrix.  The  cutting  needle  is 
held  in  the  center  of  a  finely  adjusted,  mov- 
able steel  frame.  This  frame,  with  its  re- 
volving needle-point,  is  controlled  in  all 
its  motions,  horizontally  and  laterally,  by 
a  rod  suspended  below ;  by  moving  the 
lower  end  of  this  rod  with  the  hand  over 
a  given  diagram  all  its  motions  are  dupli- 
cated on  a  much  smaller  scale  by  the  cut- 
ting needle  above.  It  will  thus  be  seen  that 
the  thing  necessary  to  produce  any  design 
in  a  matrix  is  a  pattern  to  be  placed  on  the 


,20  The  Printer's  Dictionary 

lower  shelf  of  the  machine,  under  the  point 
of  the  suspended  rod.  One  pattern  may 
be  used  to  cut  matrices  for  several  dif- 
ferent sizes  of  the  same  letter  by  simply 
adjusting  the  machine  to  the  size  desired. 
All  these  operations  in  producing  a  matrix 
are  mechanical,  and  may  be  done  quickly 
and  economically. 

There  are  several  things  about  a  type  ma- 
trix which  require  skill  and  accuracy  on 
the  part  of  expert  workmen.  The  outer 
surface  must  be  in  exact  parallel  with  the 
face  of  the  sunken  letter,  so  that  the  face 
may  be  absolutely  level  on  the  top  of  the 
type-body.  All  the  matrices  of  a  font,  and 
of  all  fonts  cast  in  the  same  mould,  must 
be  of  the  same  depth  from  the  surface  to 
the  sunken  face.  The  matrix  must  be  fitted 
so  that  it  leaves  the  face  standing  exactly 
upright,  with  proper  shoulder  on  each  side, 
and  on  true  line  with  other  letters  in  the 
font.  Knowing  that  the  matrix-fitter,  as 
well  as  the  mould-maker,  divides  an  inch 
into  ten  thousand  parts  and  uses  delicate 
measuring  instruments  which  detect  the 
difference  between  one  of  these  parts  and 
two  of  them,  it  may  be  realized  what  pains- 
taking precision  and  minute  calculations 
are  needed  to  make  a  finished  matrix. 
Casting  the  type.  The  matrix  and  mould 
being  completed,  they  are  then  attached 
to  the  casting  machine.  This  consists,  pri- 
marily, of  a  pot,  in  which  the  type  metal  is 


of  Technical  Terms 


kept  heated  to  a  fluid  state  over  a  small 
gas  furnace.  Above  and  in  the  center  of 
this  metal  pot  is  a  rod  with  a  spring  attach- 
ment, which  at  each  operation  of  the  ma- 
chine acts  as  a  plunger  to  force  a  small 
stream  of  hot  metal  through  a  side  aper- 
ture into  the  jet-hole  of  the  mould.  After 
the  casting,  the  two  parts  of  the  mould  sep- 
arate slightly,  the  matrix  is  drawn  away 
from  the  face  of  the  type,  and  the  cast  is 
moved  out ;  then  the  mould  and  matrix 
close  together  again  and  the  operation  is 
repeated.  Cold  water  or  air  is  circulated 
around  the  mould  to  keep  an  even  tempera- 
ture and  prevent  overheating.  The  matrix 
for  one  character  only  is  placed  in  the  ma- 
chine, and  when  enough  type  has  been  cast, 
it  is  taken  out  and  replaced  by  another,  the 
change  requiring  but  a  few  moments. 
There  are  several  kinds  of  type-casting 
machines  in  use,  such  as  hand,  steam,  and 
automatic.  The  older  machine  is  the  hand 
caster,  which  is  operated  by  a  small  wheel 
with  a  handle  attached.  This  is  now  used 
for  small  fonts  of  large  types,  and  for  cast- 
ing sorts.  Large  type  cannot  be  cast  as 
fast  as  small  sizes  ;  the  mould  must  remain 
closed  longer  for  the  metal  to  cool,  it  must 
open  wider  to  eject  the  cast,  and  the  whole 
operation  generally  is  more  deliberate. 
Steam  casters  are  operated  by  mechanical 
power  (originally  steam  power,  thus  called 
steam  casters)  and,  being  faster,  they  are 


32  2   The  Printer's  Dictionary 

used  for  casting  the  smaller  sizes  of  t)-pe. 
When  type  is  cast  by  the  hand  machines 
it  is  still  unfinished,  as  the  piece  of  metal 
called  the  jet,  which  cooled  in  the  opening 
of  the  mould,  still  adheres  to  the  bottom 
of  the  type.  This  jet  is  broken  off,  the  types 
are  set  in  long  lines,  and  fastened  in  a 
grooved  channel,  face  down.  A  small  plane 
smooths  away  the  irregular  surface  caused 
by  breaking  off  the  jet,  leaving  a  shallow 
groove  on  the  bottom.  The  types  also  have 
slight  burs  and  sharp  edges  which  must 
be  rubbed  off  before  they  are  ready  for  in- 
spection and  the  font-room.  Type  cast  on 
the  older  styles  of  steam  machines  also  re- 
quired the  jet  to  be  broken  off  afterward  ; 
on  the  later  machines  this  was  done  by  a 
little  device  on  the  machine,  though  the 
final  finishing  of  the  type  is  done  after- 
wards by  other  operations. 
These  operations,  when  type  comes  from 
machines  of  the  kind  just  described,  are 
done  mostly  by  hand,  with  the  aid  of  a  pol- 
ishing stone  or  a  small  dressing  wheel. 
On  the  automatic  casting  machine,  which 
is  the  modern  method  of  casting  type,  the 
breaking  of  the  jet,  dressing,  etc.,  are  all 
accomplished  automatically  on  the  ma- 
chine, the  types  coming  out  in  a  continuous 
line  practically  ready  for  the  compositor. 
Small  sizes  of  type  may  be  cast  on  these 
modern  machines  as  fast  as  one  hundred 
in  a  minute. 


of  Technical  Terms        323 

Type-High  Planer — An  instrument  for  plan- 
ing off  the  bottoms  of  electro  bases  and 
other  printing  blocks,  to  bring  them  to 
the  exact  height  of  type. 

Type  Holder — A  small  tool  for  holding  a  few 
lines  of  type,  for  hand  stamping ;  such  as 
used  by  book  binders  for  lettering  book 
covers,  etc. 

Type  Lice  —  Just  ask  any  real  live  printer's 
apprentice ! 

Type  Measure— K  strip  of  strong  cardboard, 
wood,  or  steel,  having  its  edges  marked 
with  scales  indicating  ems  of  type  sizes  ; 
usually  only  sizes  up  to  pica  or  12-point 
are  given.    For  measuring  composition. 

Type  Metal— S&%  Type. 

Type-Revolving  Press  —  A  machine  in  which 
movable  type,  locked  up  on  turtles,  was 
fastened  to  a  large  cylinder  and  this  set 
in  motion  to  make  an  impression  on  an- 
other cylinder  on  which  the  paper  was 
held.  Between  1847  and  i860  the  great 
newspapers  of  the  world  were  printed  from 
types.  The  making  of  stereotypes  had  not 
then  been  introduced,  and  there  was  no 
method  of  duplicating  forms  except  by  the 
laborious  process  of  setting  by  hand  ;  and 
although  the  cylinder  press  was  a  great 
advance  on  the  hand  press,  the  single- 
cylinder  machine  was  not  fast  enough  for 
the  rapidly  increasing  circulation  of  news- 


324   The  Printer's  Dictionary 

papers.  By  fastening  the  type  on  a  huge 
cylinder  and  then  arranging  around  it  four, 
six,  eight,  or  ten  small  impression-cylin- 
ders, with  ink-rollers,  each  revolution  of 
the  large  cylinder,  with  its  type  form,  pro- 
duced a  corresponding  number  of  copies. 
In  this  manner  large  editions  were  printed 
quickly,  but  the  method  was  cumbersome 
and  the  machine  occupied  a  great  deal  of 
room.  The  invention  of  the  web  press, 
with  its  curved  stereotypes  and  roll  of  long 
paper,  soon  displaced  it.  See  Turtle. 
Type-Settmg  Machitie—hxi  apparatus  for  com- 
posing type  mechanically,  instead  of  by 
hand.  The  term  is  loosely  applied  to  all 
machines  which  produce  composed  read- 
ing matter.  The  Simplex  machine  (see 
Simplex  Type-Setter)  is  a  type-setting  and 
type-distributing  apparatus ;  the  Mono- 
type (see  Lansfon  Monotype)  casts  individ- 
ual types  and  composes  them  in  justified 
lines  ;  the  Linotype  (see  Mergent/iaier  Lino- 
type) assembles  matrices  at  the  side  of  a 
mould  and  casts  the  complete  line  in  one 
piece,  or  slug.  The  first  patent  for  a  type- 
setting machine  was  filed  in  1822,  by  Wil- 
liam Church  of  Boston,  who  was  at  that 
time  in  England,  where  the  patent  was 
filed.  Since  then  various  other  persons 
have  studied  the  problem  of  substituting 
machinery  for  human  hands  in  type-set- 
ting, and  many  machines  have  been  in- 
vented, and  discarded  as  impracticable. 


of  Technical  Terms        325 

There  was  little  difficulty  in  making  an 
apparatus  that  would  set  the  type ;  the 
problems  of  justifying  the  lines  and  dis- 
tribution seemed  to  be  the  chief  obstacles. 
In  the  Simplex,  setting  and  distributing  are 
successfully  done,  but  the  justification  of 
lines  is  done  by  hand  work. 

Typewriter — A  desk  machine  for  writing  with 
type  by  the  touch  of  an  operator's  fingers 
on  a  keyboard. 

Typewriter  Type  —  Made  to  imitate  the  work 
of  typewriting  machines.  Its  peculiarity 
is  that  every  character  and  space  is  the 
same  width,  and  every  line  will  contain 
the  same  number  of  pieces.  The  printing 
of  imitation  typewriter  letters  is  a  special- 
ized line  of  work  in  many  shops  and  results 
are  produced  in  various  ways.  The  ribbon- 
face  effect  may  be  produced  by  using  a 
special  stipple-faced  type  as  shown  here, 

Eibbon-face  Typewriter 

or  with  ordinary  type  faces  by  interposing 
a  sheet  of  fine  muslin  between  the  form 
and  the  sheet  to  be  printed. 

Typographer — A  printer;  specifically,  one 
who  prints  from  movable  types.  Often  ab- 
breviated to  typo. 

Typographia  —  Relating  to  typography  and 
kindred  subjects.  This  word  has  been  used 
as  a  title  for  books  pertaining  to  printing 
and  as  the  name  of  a  society  of  printers. 


326  The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Typography  —  The  art  or  process  of  printing 
from  movable  types.  It  is  the  method  by 
which  the  greater  part  of  the  world's  print- 
ing is  done.  It  has  great  advantage  over 
other  methods  because  of  the  cheapness 
of  its  materials,  for  the  rapidity  with  which 
it  may  be  adapted  to  many  different  forms, 
for  the  ease  with  which  ink  may  be  applied 
to  the  printing  surface,  and  for  the  rela- 
tively little  force  needed  to  make  an  im- 
pression. Also  called  letter-press  printing. 

Typographic  Numbering  Machine — For  use  on 
typographic  presses,  either  separately  or 
in  connection  with  type-high  forms,  as  dis- 
tinguished from  hand  and  other  styles  of 
automatic  numbering  machines.  See  Num- 
bering Alachijies. 

Typographical  Union  —  See  Unions. 

Typogravure — A  trade  name  given  by  a  firm 
of  French  picture  publishers  to  a  special 
kind  of  copper  relief-plate  halftone  pictures. 

Typometry — A  method  of  setting  maps  or  dia- 
grams with  movable  types.  See  Map  Type. 

Typothetae — A  society  of  master  printers  or 
employing  printers.  This  name  was  first 
given  by  the  Emperor  of  Germany  to  the 
printers  of  that  country  about  1465.  He 
"  permitted  printers  to  wear  gold  and  sil- 
ver, and  both  the  typographi  and  typoth- 
etae were  honored  by  him  with  the  privi- 


of  Technical  Terms        327 

lege  of  bearing  coats-of-arms  and  wearing 
armor."  The  word  typothetae  signifies  type 
placers  and  is  from  the  Greek.  Its  use  in 
this  country  is  due  to  Peter  C.  Baker  of 
New  York,  who  discovered  it  in  some  old 
works  on  printing  and  suggested  it  as  an 
appropriate  title  for  a  society  of  master 
printers  in  1863.  He  did  not  know  its  clas- 
sical pronunciation,  but  gave  it  the  same 
accent  as  the  word  hy-poth'e-sis,  and  it  is 
pronounced  this  way  by  members  of  the 
societies  now  existing.  Greek  scholars  say 
that  it  should  be  pronounced  t)'-po-the'te. 
The  name  was  applied  only  to  the  New 
York  society  until  the  summer  of  1887, 
when  similar  societies  were  formed  in  St. 
Louis  and  Chicago.  Since  then  many  other 
bodies  have  been  organized  bearing  this 
name,  as  well  as  an  international  body 
including  master  printers  in  the  United 
States  and  Canada,  having  the  title  of  the 
United  Typothetae.  It  is  a  voluntary  asso- 
ciation to  advance  the  interests  of  its  mem- 
bership and  to  bring  about  improved  con- 
ditions in  the  printing  industr)\  A  brief 
summary  will  give  an  idea  of  the  scope  of 
its  objects:  (i)  Education  of  printers  in 
matters  of  cost  of  production  ;  (2)  edu- 
cation of  printers  in  benefits  of  organiza- 
tion ;  (3)  encouragement  of  more  friendly 
relations  and  of  greater  confidencebetween 
printers ;  (4)  promotion  of  trade  schools 
for  the  education  of  printers  ;  (5)  installa- 


328   The  Printer's  Dictionary 

tion,  under  the  supervision  of  experts,  of 
scientific  cost-finding  systems  ;  (6)  main- 
tenance of  credit  bureaus ;  (7)  standard- 
ization of  printing-plants;  (8)  suggesting 
plans  for  the  rearrangement  of  workrooms 
for  greater  economy  of  time  ;  (9)  establish- 
ment of  satisfactory  trade  relations  with 
those  from  whom  equipment  and  supplies 
are  purchased;  (10)  standardization  of 
shop  practices  ;  (11)  promotion  of  mutual 
fire-insurance  companies  ;  (12)  education 
of  printers  in  the  principles  of  scientific 
management;  (13)  maintenance  of  free 
employment  bureaus;  (14)  education  of 
managers  and  men  in  matters  of  eflnciency. 
It  is  sometimes  assumed  that  because  the 
Typothetae  is  composed  of  employing 
printers,  it  was  formed  to  attack  the  unions 
of  journeymen  and  even  to  destroy  them. 
This  is  not  the  fact,  however,  although  the 
two  organizations  have  disagreed  a  num- 
ber of  times  on  matters  of  wage-scales, 
hours  of  work,  etc.,  and  on  the  question  of 
the  "  open  "  or  "  closed  "  shop. 
The  United  Typothetae  is  composed  of 
delegates  from  the  local  societies,  and 
holds  conventions  once  a  year  in  diiferent 
cities.  For  a  number  of  years  it  has  been 
especially  active  in  promoting  its  objects 
throughout  the  country  and  has  greatly  in- 
creased its  membership  and  influence. 
The  headquarters  of  the  organization  are 
in  Philadelphia. 


of  Technical  Terms        329 

U —  U  and  V  were  for  a  long  time  merely 
different  forms  of  the  same  letter,  like  I 
and  J  ;  the  V  being  originally  the  form 
used  in  Roman  capitals  and  the  U  or  u 
the  cursive  or  pen-written  form.  It  is  com- 
paratively recent  that  the  two  forms  have 
been  used  to  express  different  sounds. 
Language-makers  and  printers  of  the  six- 
teenth and  seventeenth  centuries  realized 
the  confusion  made  by  the  use  of  one  form 
to  represent  several  sounds  of  speech,  and 
began  to  use  the  forms  V  and  U  to  repre- 
sent separate  sounds,  as  we  use  them  now. 
This  modern  distinction  between  the  let- 
ters explains  their  location  out  of  the  usual 
alphabetic  order  in  the  printer's  cap.  case. 

Ultramarine  —  A  beautiful  and  durable  sky- 
blue  color,  made  from  the  mineral  lapis 
lazuli.  Artificial  ultramarine  of  commerce 
is  made  by  grinding  together  and  burning 
a  mixture  of  clay,  carbonate  of  soda,  sul- 
phur, rosin,  etc.  Used  in  making  printing 
inks.  Same  as  azure. 

Uncials  —  A  style  of  pen  -  written  letters  in 
early  Latin  manuscripts.  They  were  a  com- 
bination of  the  old  capitals  and  the  newer 
minuscule  or  small  letters,  in  use  before 
small  letters  had  been  developed  into  the 
easier-made  forms  which  they  finally  as- 
sumed and  are  now  familiar.  These  uncial 
letters  were  in  many  quaint  forms,  which 
sometimes  are  copied  by  designers  and  let- 


330  The  Printer's  Dictionary 

terers  of  the  present  day.  Probably  so 
named  because  the  letters  were  all  of  one 
size  and  drawn  between  horizontal  lines 
an  inch  apart ;  uncial,  Lat.  inch. 

Uncut —  Referring  to  the  leaves  of  a  book  or 
pamphlet,  means  that  they  have  not  been 
trimmed;  when  the  bolts  or  folds  have  not 
been  cut,  as  with  a  paper  knife,  they  are 
unopened. 

Underlay  —  A  piece  of  paper,  cardboard,  or 
other  substance  placed  on  the  bottom  of  a 
form,  to  bring  it  up  to  proper  height  for 
printing.  Underlays  are  necessar)-  when 
the  face  of  a  worn  type,  ornament,  rule,  or 
cut  is  not  as  high  as  the  true  level  of  the 
form.  A  weak  place  in  a  form  may  be  given 
more  impression  by  an  overlay  on  the  tym- 
pan,  but  if  the  part  is  very  low  it  should  be 
brought  up  by  an  underlay  in  order  that  it 
may  get  its  proper  inking  when  the  rollers 
pass  over.  Underlays,  as  well  as  overlays, 
should  be  attached  in  position  with  the 
smallest  quantity  of  paste  that  will  keep 
them  in  place.  Care  should  be  observed  to 
place  an  underlay  exactly  and  only  on  the 
part  that  is  to  be  brought  up;  to  let  it  touch 
an  adjoining  letter  or  rule  that  is  already 
high  enough  will  seldom  remedy  the  defect, 
as  the  relative  height  of  the  two  parts  will 
still  be  the  same,  and  while  the  low  part 
is  brought  up  to  the  required  height,  the 
adjoining  part  may  be  too  high.  In  case  of 


of  Technical  Terms        331 

cuts  or  other  blocks  that  are  not  mounted 
with  care,  it  is  well  to  test  them  before  the 
form  goes  to  press  and  have  them  made 
the  right  height.  This  can  easily  be  done 
by  placing  the  cut  on  the  imposing  stone 
between  two  large  types  and  then  laying  a 
straightedge  or  brass  rule  across  their  face 
to  note  if  the  cut  is  low  or  high.  A  soft 
wood  base,  even  if  it  seems  the  right  height 
in  the  form,  may  need  an  extra  underlay 
when  it  gets  on  the  press  and  is  subjected 
to  the  necessary  pressure  for  printing. 
When  a  large  cut  or  plate  is  hollow  in  the 
center,  it  may  be  taken  off  the  base  and 
an  underlay  placed  on  the  back  of  the  plate 
itself  and  the  plate  fastened  on  the  base 
again.  See  Overlay. 
Underscore.,  Underli7ie  —  To  draw,  or  print 
one  or  more  lines  beneath  letters  or  words, 
as  for  emphasis,  thus  :  UNDERSCORED  or 
OVERSCORED. 

Uneven  Page  —  The  odd-number  page  or 
folio,  1,3,5,  stc,  as  distinguished  from  the 
even  page,  2 ,  4,  etc.  See  Odd  Folios. 

Unio7is  —  Societies  of  journeymen  printers 
and  others  in  the  same  line  of  work,  organ- 
ized in  many  cities.  The  compositor's  so- 
ciety is  known  as  the  International  Typo- 
graphical Union,  having  its  headquarters 
in  Indianapolis.  The  present  society  dates 
from  1869,  having  been  preceded  by  the 
National  Typographical  Union,  organized 


332   The  Printer's  Dictionary 

in  1852,  and  that  again  by  the  Printers' 
National  Union,  beginning  in  1850.  It  is 
the  oldest  and  one  of  the  strongest  trades- 
unions  in  America.  A  typographical  society 
existed  in  New  York  in  the  year  1795,  an- 
swering some  of  the  purposes  of  a  union, 
and  in  1800  it  prepared  a  scale  of  prices. 
It  died  out  before  1805,  and  the  New  York 
Typographical  Society,  then  a  trades- 
union,  succeeded  it  in  1809.  Philadelphia 
had  a  society  in  1802, Washington  in  1814, 
and  Boston  and  Albany  very  early ;  but 
these  societies,  although  having  the  same 
objects,  did  not  appoint  delegates  to  a  cen- 
tral body.  The  International  Typograph- 
ical Union,  representing  mainly  journey- 
men compositors  and  composing-room 
workers,  is  composed  of  delegates  from 
local  unions  throughout  the  United  States 
and  Canada,  and  meets  once  each  year  in 
some  important  city.  While  the  manage- 
ment of  internal  affairs,  such  as  establish- 
ing wage  scales,  membership  dues,  chapel 
regulations,  apprentice  conditions,  etc., 
is  left  mostly  to  local  unions,  the  inter- 
national body  has  control  of  many  impor- 
tant policies  of  the  association.  Travel- 
ing cards  are  issued  to  members  who  wish 
to  go  from  the  jurisdiction  of  one  local 
union  to  another,  and  they  are  subject  to 
local  regulations  and  privileges.  It  main- 
tains a  home  for  aged  members  at  Colo- 
rado Springs,  Colorado,  one  of  the  best 
institutions  of  its  kind. 


of  Technical  Terms 


Workers  in  pressrooms  are  organized  in 
the  International  Printing  Pressmen  and 
Assistants'  Union,  which  has  local  unions 
throughout  the  countr}'. 
Closely  affiliated  with  these  unions  in  the 
larger  cities  are  those  of  the  allied  trades, 
such  as  pressmen,  feeders,  stereotypers, 
electrotypers,  engravers,  binders,  etc.,  and 
in  the  more  important  centers  of  the  in- 
dustry these  interests  are  joined  in  allied 
printing  trades  councils. 
Unit — A  given  standard  of  measurement; 
thus,  the  point  is  the  unit  of  measure  for 
type  sizes  ;  pica  (  12  points ),  the  unit  of 
measure  for  type  lines,  pages,  length  of 
leads,  brass  rule,  size  of  wood  and  metal 
furniture,  etc. 

Unitype  —  See  Sif?iplex  Type- Setter. 

Unit  Type  Cabinet — An  arrangement  similar 
to  the  sectional  book  cases.  Unit  type 
cabinets  are  built  in  sections  about  12^ 
inches  high,  holding  eight  or  ten  cases. 
There  is  a  base  piece  upon  which  it  rests 
and  a  cap  piece  on  top.  Any  number  of 
the  sections  may  be  put  together  to  provide 
room  for  additional  fonts  as  needed.  These 
cabinets  also  have  cases  of  different  depths 
to  provide  for  fonts  of  different  sizes:  very 
shallow  cases  for  job  fonts  of  small  type, 
and  other  cases  of  various  depths,  some 
being  extra  deep,  to  give  room  for  large 
fonts. 


334   The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Universal  Base — A  style  of  metal  base,  made 
in  one  piece  or  in  sections  which  may  be 
placed  together,  and  upon  which  electros, 
stereos,  and  other  plates  may  be  mounted 
type-high  for  printing;  interchangeable 
base.    See  SedioTial  Block. 

Universal  Press  — A  style  of  platen  job  press 
originally  invented  by  Merritt  Gaily  of 
New  York,  about  1869.  It  differs  from  the 
Gordon,  Golding,  and  Prouty  styles  of 
platen  job  presses  in  several  features  ;  its 
frame  is  more  compact  and  strong,  and  is 
not  so  high  from  the  floor  ;  the  bed  is  sta- 
tionary in  a  perpendicular  position,  and 
the  impression  is  given  by  the  movement 
of  the  platen  drawn  by  two  strong  side- 
arms  at  an  exact  right  angle  to  the  bed. 
It  has  distinctive  inking  apparatus,  which, 
together  with  its  strength,  makes  it  well 
adapted  for  work  requiring  good  ink  dis- 
tribution and  a  heavy  impression.  Because 
of  its  strength  it  is  much  used  for  emboss- 
ing work.  There  are  two  makes  of  this 
style  of  press,  one  known  as  the  Gaily 
Universal  and  the  other  the  Colt's  Armory 
(or  John  Thomson),  and  both  are  made 
in  several  sizes,  ranging  from  10x15  inches 
to  1 4  X  2  2  inches  inside  chase,  for  printing. 
Other  styles  and  larger  sizes  of  these  ma- 
chines are  made  especially  for  embossing, 
stamping,  creasing  and  cutting,  printing 
on  wood,  and  for  other  purposes. 


of  Technical  Terms        335 

Unlock — To  loosen  up  a  form  by  turning  or 
moving  the  quoins. 

Unsized  Paper  —  See  Size. 

Upper  Case  —  The  capital  case. 

Upright  Miiering Machifie — For  shaving  rules, 
etc.  It  is  operated  by  moving  the  knife  up 
and  down  with  a  lever  ;  in  distinction  from 
the  rotary  st)'le  machine. 

Upright  Page  —  One  that  measures  less  side- 
ways than  it  does  up  and  down  ;  the  usual 
shape  of  book  page,  as  distinguished  from 
the  oblong  page,  which  is  wider  than  its 
height. 

/^— This  is  the  older  form  of  the  character  U, 
and  for  a  long  time  was  used  as  an  equiv- 
alent to  it.  This  form  is  still  sometimes 
used  for  U  in  old-st)^le  printing  and  letter- 
ing, as  in  titles,  tablets,  inscriptions,  etc.. 
where  it  is  desired  to  give  classical,  old- 
st}^le  effect.  There  seems  to  be  little  reason 
for  using  it  for  U  in  modern  printing.  As 
a  Roman  numeral  V  stands  for  five  or  5. 
See  U. 

Vandercook  Press — A  style  of  proof  presses 
that  have  lately  been  introduced  to  the 
trade.  They  embody  the  use  of  a  cylin- 
drical surface  which  is  rolled  over  the  form, 
and  are  designed  to  give  a  strong,  uniform 
impression,  and  may  be  operated  quickly. 


336  The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Varnish — An  oily  liquid  used  in  mixing  print- 
ing inks.  It  is  made  in  many  grades  of 
quality  and  consistency,  the  finer  kinds 
being  made  of  linseed  oil,  and  rosin  oils 
used  for  the  cheaper  grades.  Reducing 
varnish  is  used  to  thin  out  ink  ;  gloss  var- 
nish will  give  a  glossy  effect  when  it  dries 
after  printing.  See  Printing  Inks. 

Vegetable  Parchnie?it — A  specially  prepared 
paper,  resembling  parchment,  made  water- 
proof and  greaseproof,  partially  transpar- 
ent, and  strong ;  used  for  wrappers  and 
coverings,  for  food  jars  and  similar  pur- 
poses.   See  Parchment. 

Vellum  —  A  kind  of  paper  made  from  the 
skins  of  calves,  of  finer  quality  than  parch- 
ment. In  the  trade  genuine  vellum  is 
called  classic  vellum,  to  distinguish  it  from 
imitation  or  paper  vellum,  which  is  made 
from  high-class  rags  that  have  been  spe- 
cially treated.  Used  for  bindings  and  for 
fine  special  editions  and  documents.  See 
Parchment. 

Vellum  Finish  —  Paper  or  cardboard  made 
with  a  surface  that  looks  and  feels  like 
vellum  ;  the  smooth,  natural  surface  of  a 
finely  prepared  leather. 

Vermilion— h.  beautiful  red  color,  toning  to 
orange,  used  as  the  proper  accompaniment 
for  black  ink.  Vermilion  pigment  is  the  sul- 
phid  of  metallic  mercury,  and  as  sulphur 


of  Technical  Terms        337 

and  copper  react  strongly  on  each  other, 
when  ink  of  this  kind  is  used  for  printing 
with  electrotypes  there  is  liable  to  be  un- 
satisfactory results,  especially  on  long 
runs  ;  the  color  will  become  dark,  and  the 
copper  face  eaten  away.  Type  forms  or 
nickel-faced  plates  will  obviate  this  trouble. 
Vermilion  is  also  made  from  the  cochineal 
insect  —  a  sort  of  worm-dye. 
Verside — The  sign  "^  used  in  religious  work. 

Verso — The  left-hand  page  of  a  book  ;  back 
or  reverse  side  of  a  book  cover.  See  Recto. 

Vibrator — An  extra  roller,  placed  between 
two  form  rollers  on  a  press.  It  rests  against 
the  form  rollers  and  turns  with  them,  but 
has  a  lateral  motion,  vibrating  back  and 
forth  slightly,  so  as  to  give  additional  dis- 
tribution of  ink  while  the  form  rollers  are 
moving  over  the  printing  surface. 

Vignette — Before  the  day  of  halftones  the 
term  vignette  was  applied  to  little  wood- 
cuts that  precede  the  title-page  or  were 
used  to  embellish  initials,  and  as  chapter 
heads  and  tail  pieces  not  enclosed  within 
a  definite  border.  These  cuts  contained 
garlands,  festoons,  trailing  vines,  etc., 
hence  the  name  vignette.  A  decorative  or 
illustrative  tail  piece.  The  term  is  now  gen- 
erally applied  to  halftone  plates  finished 
so  that  the  background  screen  fades  away 
gradually  and  merges  into  the  surface  on 
which  the  print  is  made. 


338    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Volume  —  Originally  a  roll  of  parchment  or 
papyrus ;  a  book ;  a  collection  of  leaves, 
numbers,  or  parts  bound  together  to  make 
a  book. 


^—  This  is  one  of  the  newer  additions  to 
the  alphabet,  having  been  introduced  in 
the  eleventh  centurj'.  The  first  form  of  this 
letter  was  two  V's,  thus  VV  (double  u),  V 
being  the  original  shape  of  the  letter  we 
now  call  U.  See  6^  and  V. 

Wall- Paper  Prijiting — Like  other  classes  of 
printing,  this  was  formerly  done  by  hand 
methods,  either  by  the  use  of  engraved 
blocks  or  by  stencils.  Some  special  kinds 
are  still  produced  in  this  way.  Common 
wall-paper  is  now  printed  on  large  cylinder 
machines,  in  much  the  same  way  that  daily 
newspapers  are  printed.  The  real  printing, 
however,  must  be  preceded  by  an  opera- 
lion  which  applies  the  tint  or  "  ground  " 
on  the  surface  of  the  paper.  This  is  done 
by  running  the  web  through  a  series  of 
brushes  which  lay  the  moist  ground  upon 
which  the  design  is  to  be  printed.  This 
moistening  of  the  paper  requires  a  special 
dr)nng  process,  which  carries  it  in  extend- 
ed fashion  for  long  distances  over  a  series 
of  steam-heated  pipes.  The  heat  dries  the 
paper  rapidly  as  it  is  carried  along,  and  it 
is  then  re-wound  loosely  in  rolls  or  run 
directly  into  the  printing  machine. 


of  Technical  Terms        339 

The  printing  surface  is  a  large  cylinder, 
on  which  the  paper  is  carried  to  receive 
the  various  colors  of  the  design.  By  the 
side  of  this  large  cylinder  are  small  cylin- 
ders on  which  the  engraved  blocks  or 
plates,  or  other  printing  surfaces,  are 
mounted,  each  small  cylinder  having  an 
inking  apparatus  for  the  particular  color 
which  it  is  to  print.  The  cylinders  are  ad- 
justed and  geared  so  as  to  revolve  and 
print  one  color  after  another,  in  accurate 
register,  upon  the  paper  as  it  passes 
around  the  large  cylinder,  each  revolution 
of  which  produces  a  given  length  of  paper 
printed  in  several  colors. 
Wall-paper  is  also  printed  by  the  offset  or 
transfer  method.  In  this  process  the  large 
impression  cylinder  has  a  transfer  compo- 
sition blanket.  The  small  printing  cylin- 
ders, which  are  geared  around  the  large 
one,  each  printing  a  single  color,  leave 
their  impressions,  not  on  the  paper,  but  on 
the  composition  blanket.  As  the  main  cyl- 
inder revolves  it  receives  in  turn  the  vari- 
ous colors  of  the  design.  An  extra  impres- 
sion cylinder,  also  adjusted  close  to  the 
main  cylinder,  carries  the  sheet  of  paper 
to  receive  this  composite  color  impression : 
that  is,  printing  all  the  colors  on  the  paper 
simultaneously  at  one  impression.  The  ad- 
vantages of  this  latter  method  are  claimed 
to  be  a  pleasing  softness  in  color  efifect, 
exact  register,  greater   speed,    and   less 


340  The  Printer's  Dictionary 

wear  on  the  printing  blocks  or  surfaces  be- 
cause of  the  composition  surface  on  which 
they  leave  their  impression. 
The  colors  used  for  wall-paper  are  more 
like  paste  than  the  stiff  typographic  inks, 
and  they  contain  more  or  less  glue  or  a 
similar  sticky  substance.  The  work  has 
many  special  processes  applied  to  the  pro- 
duction of  different  kinds  of  goods. 

JVasA  Drawing — A  drawing  made  in  sepia, 
india  ink,  or  transparent  colors,  in  which 
the  colors  are  washed  lightly  and  evenly 
over  the  surface,  as  with  a  brush  ;  used  for 
architectural  drawings,  machinery,  indus- 
trial designs,  etc.  A  style  of  picture  adapt- 
ed for  reproduction  by  halftone  engraving 
process. 

IVashifigton  Hand  Press— A  common  st)-le  of 
iron  press,  much  used  for  pulling  proofs 
and  similar  work.  Its  general  structure 
and  operation  is  similar  to  that  of  the  old 
wooden  hand  press,  but  its  simple  mechan- 
ical principle  and  great  strength  of  im- 
pression, imparted  by  a  simple  arrange- 
ment of  knuckle-joint  and  levers,  make  it 
a  most  effective  machine.  It  has  been 
made  by  several  firms,  and  probably  will 
always  be  a  staple  item  of  general  print- 
ing-room equipment. 

Waste  S/iects—The  extra  sheets,  trial  sheets, 
or  spoiled  stock  used  in  making  ready  a 
form  on  the  press,  in  binding,  etc. 


of  Technical  Terms        341 

Water-ftiark — The  faintly  marked  figure,  let- 
ter, or  design  in  the  fabric  of  a  paper,  usu- 
ally not  noticeable  except  when  the  sheet 
is  held  up  to  the  light.  The  water-mark  in 
a  sheet  of  paper  is  formed  while  in  a  state 
of  pulp,  when  a  raised  design  or  pattern 
made  of  thin  wire  worked  into  the  required 
shape  is  fastened  upon  the  surface  of  the 
wire  which  forms  the  mould.  The  layer  of 
fibres  over  every  portion  of  the  design  is 
thinner  than  the  surrounding  layer  which 
forms  on  the  surface  of  the  mould  in  the 
ordinary  way,  and  the  design  appears  as 
a  transparent  pattern  in  the  dry  paper. 
The  water-marks  used  by  early  paper  mak- 
ers have  given  names  to  several  sizes  of 
paper,  like  foolscap,  pot  (English),  crown, 
post,  elephant.  The  use  of  water-marks 
has  greatly  increased  in  recent  years,  as 
it  is  equivalent  to  a  trade-mark  for  papers 
of  known  quality,  and  a  ready  means  of 
identification. 

Wave  Rule—Bxzss  rule  having  a  face  like 

Waver  Roller  —  An  inking  roller  which  dis- 
tributes ink  on  a  table  or  on  other  rollers 
by  moving  back  and  forth  endways  in  ad- 
dition to  its  rotary  movement.  On  some 
styles  of  cylinder  presses  it  is  placed  di- 
agonally on  the  ink  table,  the  action  of 
the  table  giving  the  vibratory  motion.  A 
vibrating  roller. 


342       The  Printer's  Dictionary 

JFax  Engraving  —  A  common  method  for 
making  printing  plates  for  maps,  charts, 
diagrams,  and  other  classes  of  work.  It 
is  less  expensive  than  other  methods  of  en- 
graving, and  may  be  done  quickly.  A  pol- 
ished plate  of  copper  or  brass  is  covered 
with  a  thin  film  of  specially  prepared  wax, 
and  upon  this  the  design  may  be  made 
either  by  photography,  hand  drawing,  or 
other  transfer  method.  The  engraving  of 
the  wax  surface  is  done  by  sharp-pointed 
tools,  a  ruling  machine,  or,  in  the  case  of 
lettering,  ordinary  types  are  pressed  in  the 
warm  wax,  one  letter  or  one  word  at  a  time. 
In  this  manner  the  wax-covered  plate  be- 
comes a  mould,  the  blank  spaces  are  "built 
up  "  in  the  same  way  as  an  electrotype 
wax  mould,  and  it  is  then  put  in  a  copper 
bath  and  a  copper  shell  deposited  on  its 
face.  A  printing  plate  is  made  by  the  same 
general  procedure  as  with  an  ordinar)* 
electrot}'pe. 

Wayzgoose  —  An  old-time  printer's  festival. 
It  is  described  by  Joseph  Moxon  (1683): 
"  It  is  customary  for  all  the  journeymen 
to  make  ever)'  year  new  paper  windows, 
whether  the  old  will  serve  or  not,  because 
that  day  they  make  them  the  master 
printer  gives  them  a  wayzgoose  ;  that  is, 
he  makes  them  a  good  feast,  and  not  only 
entertains  them  at  his  own  house,  but  be- 
sides, gives  them  money  to  spend  at  the 


of  Technical  Terms        343 

ale-house  or  tavern  at  night;  and  to  this 
feast  they  invite  the  corrector,  founder, 
smith,  joyner,  and  ink-maker,  who  all  of 
them  severally  (except  the  corrector)  open 
their  purse-strings  and  add  their  benevo- 
lence. These  wayzgooses  are  always  kept 
about  Bartholomew-tide,  and  till  the  mas- 
ter printer  have  given  this  wayzgoose  the 
journeymen  do  not  use  to  work  by  candle 
light."  Wayzgoose,  literally,  a  young  stub- 
ble goose,  a  dainty  dish  for  a  feast. 

Web  Press  —  A  printing  machine  which  is 
automatically  supplied  with  paper  from  a 
great  roll  or  w'eb ;  usually  a  rotary  machine, 
but  there  are  flat-bed  presses  in  which  the 
same  method  of  supplying  paper  is  used. 
• 

Wetter  Numbering  Machine —  A  popular  style 
of  typographic  numbering  machine  in- 
vented by  Joseph  Wetter  of  New  York.  It 
is  made  in  several  varieties  and  adapted 
to  many  uses  for  automatically  numbering 
tickets,  coupons,  certificates,  and  other 
work.    See  Numbering  Machine. 

Wetting  Down  Paper  —  Within  the  past  fifty 
years  the  practice  of  dampening  paper  be- 
fore it  is  printed  has  been  gradually  aban- 
doned in  this  country,  although  the  prac- 
tice is  said  to  be  still  in  vogue  to  some  ex- 
tent in  Europe  and  elsewhere.  The  use  of 
dampened  paper  was  necessary  in  early 
days  of  printing  because  of  crude  methods 


344  The  Printer's  Dictionary 

and  materials  ;  type  was  not  all  cast  of  uni- 
form height  and  it  was  used  longer  and 
worn  more  ;  presses  were  not  made  so  pow- 
erful and  make-ready  was  not  done  so  care- 
fully. Slightly  dampened  paper  will  take 
ink  more  readily  than  dry  paper,  and  it 
does  not  require  so  much  force  to  make 
the  impression  on  the  softened  surface. 
The  impression  makes  a  thicker  line,  of 
course,  and  the  impress  will  show  strongly 
on  the  back  of  the  sheet ;  but  these  were 
necessary  results  because  of  the  rudimen- 
tary methods  and  materials  employed.  The 
dampening  also  takes  the  gloss  ofif  the  sur- 
face of  the  paper,  and  although  dr}--press- 
ing  and  hot-pressing  would  smooth  out 
more  or  less  of  the  roughness  made  by  the 
impression,  it  is  a  tedious  and  expensive 
operation.  Printing  damp  paper  is  a  slow 
process,  as  the  stock  for  a  given  job  must 
be  first  wet  down  and  allowed  to  stand  for 
several  hours  (usually  over  night)  in  order 
that  the  moisture  may  saturate  the  pile 
evenly ;  the  damp  sheets  cannot  be  han- 
dled as  readily  as  the  dry  sheets,  and  when 
printed  they  must  be  allowed  some  time  to 
dry.  The  development  of  power  presses 
with  their  true  and  steady  impressional  mo- 
tion, better  inking  apparatus,  finer  print- 
ing surfaces,  and  better  finished  paper,  as 
well  as  greater  care  and  skill  in  the  prep- 
aration of  tympans,  have  made  wetting 
down  an  unnecessary  operation   for  the 


of  Technical  Terms        345 

great  bulk  of  commercial  and  book  print- 
ing. In  newspaper  work  the  dampen- 
ing of  paper  is  practiced  to  some  extent, 
especially  in  places  where  old  equipment 
and  old-time  methods  are  still  in  vogue. 
There  are  occasional  instances,  also,  in 
which  dampened  paper  is  used  for  small 
editions  of  choice  books  printed  in  old- 
style  fashion  on  hand-made  paper. 
Weather  Signals,    Wind  Lidicators  —  « — 


These  are  cast  in  type,  for  use  in     p/\|R 
weather  reports,  etc.  (The  appren- 
tice  should  study  the  type  foundry  ^ 
specimen  books  to  become  familiar  with 
the  numerous  special  signs  and  miscel- 
laneous characters  cast  in  type.) 

White-face  Letters,  Figures—  Those  which  are 
made  to  show  white  on  a  dark 
ground.  See  Outline  Letters. 

White  Lifie  —  A  line  of  quads  ;  a  blank  line. 
White-li?ie  Engraving  —  A  cut  or 

engraving  in  which  the  design 

appears  in  white  lines  on  solid 

or  dark  ground. 


White  Out— To  open  out,  or  put  blank  space 

between  lines,  when  more  than  ordinary 

leads  are  required. 
White  Page—K  blank  page. 
Whole  Fraction  — One  that  is  cast  complete 

on  one  body,  in  distinction  from  a  piece 

fraction.    See  Fractions. 


346    The  Printer's  Dictionary 

Wickersham  Quoin— A  small  metal  device  for 
tightening  up  forms  in  a  chase,  etc.  It 
consists  of  a  metal  box,  2  inches  long,  by 
s/q  inch  deep,  and  3^  inch  in  width  when 
closed.  The  quoin  is  made  of  two  pieces 
held  together  at  the  ends  by  small  springs. 
Enclosed  in  the  centre  of  the  box  is  a  cir- 
cular cam,  fitted  into  grooves  in  the  sides. 
An  opening  in  the  top  of  the  quoin  admits 
a  square  key  which  tits  into  a  square  hole 
in  the  cam.  The  turning  of  this  cam  ex- 
pands the  sides  of  the  quoin,  so  that  when 
placed  between  the  side-stick  or  furniture 
and  the  enclosing  chase,  its  expansion 
presses  the  whole  mass  together  solidly. 
See  Morton  Lock-up. 

Wide  Measure — Lines  of  type  that  are  longer 
than  normal,  in  relation  to  the  size  of  t)'pe 
used  ;  a  length  of  line  that  would  be  normal 
for  1 2-point  type  would  be  wide  measure  for 
6-point.  Lines  averagingover  twelve  words 
each  may  be  termed  wide  measure. 

Wide  Spacing— More  than  the  normal  space, 
or  three-to-em,  between  words  in  a  line. 
Good  practice  spaces  solid  and  thin-leaded 
matter  with  the  three-to-em  and  thinner ; 
double-leaded  matter  and  wide  type-faces 
require  wider  spacing.  A  safe  general  rule 
is  that  the  average  space  between  words  in 
a  line  should  be  less  than  the  white  space 
between  the  lines  of  a  paragraph.  Ver)- 
wide  spacing  is  a  defect  in  straight  matter. 


of  Technical  Terms        347 

Wire-mark — The  faint  mark  left  on  paper  by 
certain  wires  in  the  mould  during  manu- 
facture, as  in  laid  paper.   See  Water- mark. 

Wire  Stitcher — A  machine  for  fastening  the 
leaves  of  a  pamphlet  by  means  of  small 
wire  staples.  The  wire  is  supplied  from  a 
spool,  and  is  guided  into  a  channel  in 
which  it  is  cut  into  the  required  length 
and  formed  into  a  staple.  This  staple  is 
made  just  beneath  a  piece  of  mechanism 
which,  by  the  action  of  a  foot-trip,  drives 
the  staple  down  through  the  sheets.  After 
going  through  the  sheets  the  two  points 
are  bent  toward  each  other  and  pressed 
flat  against  the  under  side.  All  the  motions 
of  the  machine  are  automatic,  and  it  may 
be  adjusted  to  stitch  a  thin  pamphlet  of  a 
few  sheets  or  a  pamphlet  three-quarters  of 
an  inch  or  more  in  thickness. 

Woodbtirytype — A  style  of  photo-gravure.  See 
Photo-gravure. 

Wood  Base  —  A  block  of  wood  upon  which 
an  electro,  zinc  plate,  or  halftone  plate  is 
mounted  type-high.  Wood  bases  usually 
suffice  for  small  plates  for  short  runs,  but 
for  heavy  plates  and  many  impressions 
solid  metal  bases  are  preferred.  See 
Universal  Base. 

Wood  Efigraver —  One  who  engraves  or  cuts 
pictures  or  designs  on  wood  blocks  for 
printing. 


348  The  Printer  s  Dictionary 

Woodcut  —  An  engraving  on  wood,  or  a  print 
from  such  an  engraving. 

Woodcut  Paper — A  soft  paper  of  fine  fiber 
and  smooth  finish,  lightly  sized  or  un- 
sized, which  readily  takes  an  impression 
of  ink.    Also  termed  plate  paper. 

Wood  Engraving —  The  art  of  cutting  designs 
in  relief  upon  a  polished  block  of  wood. 
A  print  made  from  a  block  of  this  kind. 
For  good  work  boxwood  is  usually  em- 
ployed, and  the  engraving  is  done  on  the 
end  of  the  grain.  When  the  surface  of  the 
block  is  smoothed  it  is  treated  to  a  very 
light  coating  of  chalk-wash,  in  order  that 
the  drawing  or  design  may  be  held  on  it 
while  the  cutting  is  being  done.  The  de- 
sign may  be  drawn  with  pencil  or  India  ink, 
or  transferred  by  photography.  By  means 
of  fine  tools,  gravers,  gouges,  tint-tools  and 
chisels  of  different  kinds,  the  white  parts 
are  cut  away,  leaving  the  design  in  raised 
lines  or  dots  on  the  surface.  Woodcuts 
will  print  well  on  all  grades  of  paper,  even 
with  ordinary  inks  ;  they  can  be  engraved 
finely  to  give  soft  and  delicate  effects,  or 
they  can  be  made  in  strong  lines  and 
masses  of  color.  The  lines  being  cut  deep, 
there  is  less  liability  to  fill  up  in  printing, 
and  electros  can  be  made  as  good  as  the 
original.  Electros  are  always  advisable 
for  woodcuts,  the  original  being  preserved 
for  further  plates  or  in  case  of  accident  to 
the  printing  form. 


of  Technical  Terms        349 

IVbod  Pulp — Wood  pulp  is  of  two  distinct 
classes,  "mechanical"  and  "chemical." 
The  mechanical  or  "  ground  wood  "  pulp 
is  made  by  taking  logs  which  have  been 
sawed  into  convenient  lengths,  removing 
the  bark  and  feeding  them  into  a  machine 
where  they  are  ground  to  atoms  by  con- 
tact with  a  rapidly-revolving  grindstone 
over  which  water  is  flowing.  The  pulp  is 
then  screened  in  order  to  eliminate  splin- 
ters or  chips,  and  is  formed  into  sheets  on 
a  wet  press  machine.  This  product  is  of 
low  quality,  as  it  contains  all  the  resinous 
and  gummy  portions  of  the  original  wood, 
and  the  fibers  are  short  and  inflexible.  The 
chemical  pulp  is  made  by  chipping  the 
logs,  and  cooking  the  chips  in  large  digest- 
ors  with  strong  liquors  at  a  high  temper- 
ature. After  a  sufficient  time  the  digestors 
are  emptied,  and  the  pulp  is  then  washed, 
screened,  and  bleached,  and  formed  into 
sheets  by  a  machine  closely  resembling  a 
paper  machine.  This  process  dissolves  the 
resinous  and  gummy  matters,  and  leaves 
the  cellulose  fibers  in  a  practically  pure 
state.  These  fibers  are  much  better  than 
the  "ground  wood,"  as  they  are  freed  from 
substances  which  soon  decay,  and  are 
longer,  stronger,  and  more  flexible.  There 
are  several  different  kinds  of  chemical 
wood  pulps,  var}'ing  in  character  accord- 
ing to  the  kinds  of  wood  used  and  the  proc- 
esses of  cooking  employed.   The  two  most 


350  The  Printer's  Dictionary 

common  are  known  as  "soda  pulp"  and 
"sulphite  pulp." 

Mechanical  pulp  and  chemical  pulp  are 
often  used  together,  the  quality  of  paper 
depending  on  the  proportion  of  low  grade 
and  better  pulp ;  chemical  pulp  is  also 
mixed  with  rag  pulp  for  better  grades  of 
paper. 

Wood  Pulp  Board — Coarse,  stifT  card  made 
from  wood  pulp,  used  for  making  boxes, 
cheap  book  covers,  etc. 

Wood  Type—harge  types,  such  as  are  used 
for  posters  and  large  bills,  are  made  of 
wood.  The  smallest  size  for  practical  use 
is  48-point,  or  4-line  pica.  Sizes  of  wood 
type  are  multiples  of  the  pica,  and  are  so 
named,  as  8-line,  lo-line,  etc.  They  are 
much  cheaper  than  metal  types,  though  not 
as  durable  or  satisfactory  for  printing.  The 
wood  commonly  used  is  maple  and  the  let- 
ter is  made  on  the  end  of  the  grain.  It  must 
be  well  seasoned  and  polished.  The  man- 
ner of  cutting  the  letter  is  by  routing  away 
the  blank  parts  with  a  small  rapidly-revolv- 
ing cutter.  The  strip  of  wood,  cut  to  the 
height  of  the  size  required  and  planed  type- 
high,  is  placed  in  a  machine  equipped  with 
a  pantograph  apparatus.  A  pattern  letter 
is  put  in  place,  and  over  this  a  guide  point 
is  moved  ;  on  another  part  of  the  machine 
is  the  revolving  cutting  tool ;  as  the  guide 
point  is  moved  over  the  pattern,  its  mo- 


of  Technical  Terms        351 

tions  are  duplicated  by  the  block  under  the 
cutter,  which  cuts  away  the  wood.  When 
the  letters  on  a  block  are  thus  routed  out, 
they  are  sawed  apart,  the  finishing  touches 
given,  and  the  letters  oiled.  Pine  and  other 
soft  woods  are  used  for  very  large  sizes  of 
wood  type  and  poster  cuts. 

Wood  Furniture — Pieces  of  wood  of  various 
sizes,  for  fitting  around  forms,  between 
pages,  etc.    See  Furniture. 

Wood  Rule,  Border,  etc. — Large  sizes  of  rules, 
borders,  ornaments,  and  similar  material, 
are  made  of  wood  for  posters,  large  cards, 
etc.    Same  as  wood  type. 

Work-and-ttirn  —  When  all  the  pages  on  a 
sheet  are  imposed  on  one  form,  the  paper 
is  turned  and  printed  on  the  second  side, 
making  two  copies  when  cut.  See  Half 
Sheet,  Sheetwise. 

Worked  (9^5^— When  the  required  amount  of 
sheets  have  been  printed  the  form  is  said 
to  be  worked  off. 

Workers — The  set  of  electros  used  for  print- 
ing a  work,  in  distinction  from  the  pattern 
plates  or  moulders — those  held  in  reserve 
for  moulding  duplicates,  or  for  other  use. 

j         Wove  Paper — Paper  made  on  a  mould  in 

I  which  the  wires  are  woven  together  like 

the  threads  of  ordinary  cloth,  and  which 

does  not  show  distinct  wire  marks,  as  on 


352   The  Printer's  Dictionary 

laid  paper.  Most  paper  is  now  made  on 
this  kind  of  a  mould,  especially  paper  used 
in  printing,  as  the  wire  marks  of  laid  paper 
are  liable  to  show  in  printing  solid  or  flat 
surfaces.    See  Laid  Paper. 

Writings — General  term  for  writing  paper  of 
all  grades.  The  cheaper  grades  are  made 
mostly  of  wood  pulp,  the  better  grades  from 
cotton  rags,  and  the  finest  grades  from 
linen  rags.  Writing  papers  are  sized,  and 
do  not  take  printing  ink  as  readily  as  un- 
sized book  or  print  paper  ;  they  require  a 
stiffer,  stronger  ink  and  more  impression. 

Wrong-font — A  wrong  letter  or  character  in 
a  line,  caused  by  mixing  fonts  of  type  ;  in 
proof,  written  wf. 

Xylography— The  art  or  process  of  engraving 
on  wood. 

Yankee/ob  Stick— A.  style  of  compositor's  stick 
in  common  use.  The  movable  knee  is  held 
to  the  back-plate  by  a  small  steel  clamp  and 
a  thumbscrew.  Its  popularity  for  jobbing 
is  largly  due  to  the  ease  with  which  it  can 
be  changed  from  one  measure  to  another. 
The  sticks  in  use  before  its  advent  required 
a  screwdriver  or  similar  tool  to  fasten  or  to 
unloose  the  movable  knee. 

Year  Book— A.  book  or  pamphlet  published 
once  a  year,  in  which  a  record  of  events, 
statistics,  and  other  information  relating 
to  some  work  or  subject  is  put  in  conve- 
nient form  for  reference. 


of  Technical  Terms        353 

Ve — The  jy  in  this  old-time  word  and  also  in 
y")  y".  y^  ?  a-nd  yt,  is  a  corrupt  represen- 
tation of  the  Anglo-Saxon  V  ,  or  Z,^,  intro- 
duced at  the  time  when  the  Anglo-Saxon 
alphabet  was  superseded  by  the  Old  Eng- 
lish or  Black  Letter,  in  which  )>  (y)  bore  a 
considerable  resemblance  in  form  to  *p. 

Zinc  Etching — A  relief  printing  plate  made 
on  zinc  by  photo-chemical  operations.  See 
Process  Engraving. 

Zinc  Galleys — Those  with  zinc  bottoms  ;  now 
little  used  except  for  mail  lists  and  other 
standing  matter.  Brass  is  now  commonly 
used. 

Zi7ic  Halftone — The  cheaper,  coarse  screen 
halftones,  such  as  are  used  by  newspapers, 
are  etched  on  zinc  instead  of  copper,  the 
latter  being  used  for  finer  work. 

Zincograph — An  etching  on  zinc. 


354     ^he  Printer's  Dictionary 


Names  and  Proportions  of  Regular  Book  Folds 


Name  of 
folding 

Modem 
size  of 
leaf 

Size  of 
printed 
sheet 

s 

II 

0  0 

Old  size 
(folds  of 
igX24) 

Folio   .... 

I2X  18 

18  X  24 

4 

12X19 

Quarto  (4to) 

9X12 

18  X24 

8 

gJi  X  12 

Octavo  (8vo) 

6X9 

24X36 

16 

6X9« 

i2mo  .... 

5/«  X  7^« 

30H   X4I 

32 

4^  X8 

i6mo  .... 

4M  X6^ 

27X36 

32 

4^  X6 

i8mo  .... 

4X6 

24X32 

32 

4X6H 

24mo  .... 

3fi  X  5^ 

22  X  29 

32 

4X4>i 

32mo  .... 

3K8  X  4« 

19X25 

32 

3X4« 

36mo  .... 

3X4^ 

18  X  24 

32 

3^X4 

48010  .... 

2JiX4 

18X24 

48 

2?*X4 

How  Books  Are  Bound 

BOOKBINDING  includes  all  the  processes  nec- 
essary to  fasten  the  leaves  of  a  book  and  put 
them  into  a  cover,  after  the  paper  has  been  made 
and  the  printing  done.  The  details  of  the  work  va- 
ries more  or  less  according  to  the  character  of  the 
product  —  whether  Uterary  and  historical  works, 
novels,  school  text  books,  blank  books,  pamphlets, 
catalogues,  notebooks,  diaries,  etc.  These  and  other 
classes  of  books  may  be  bound  in  many  different 
ways,  as  in  leather,  cloth,  boards,  or  paper,  in  either 
stiff  or  flexible  covers. 

When  the  printing  has  been  done  on  a  large  sheet, 
the  sheet  is  folded  over  and  over  until  in  length  and 
width  it  is  the  size  of  one  leaf.  This  folded  sheet  is 
the  unit  of  a  book,  and  each  book  is  made  up  of  a 
number  of  these  units,  a  book  being  large  or  small 
according  to  the  size  of  the  page  and  the  number  of 
units  used.  In  large  binderies  much  of  the  folding 
is  done  by  machines  with  automatic  feeders.  In 
addition  to  these  there  are  machines  which  are  fed 
by  hand,  the  sheets  being  taken  one  by  one  from  a 
pile  and  placed  into  the  machines  as  rapidly  as  they 
can  be  taken  up  and  folded.  In  the  smaller  binderies, 
most  of  the  folding  is  done  by  hand.  Some  hand 
folding  is  also  done  in  binderies  where  folding  ma- 
chines are  used.  This  is  necessary  in  case  of  special 
folds,  of  errors  which  sometime  occur  in  machine 
folding,  and  in  case  the  necessary  folds  are  too  small 
for  the  machines. 

As  a  number  of  copies  of  a  book  are  made  at  one 
time,  there  are  many  duplicates  of  each  signature 
when  the  folding  is  done.  These  duplicates  are 
355 


356     How  Books  Are  Bound 

collected  into  separate  piles,  and  the  piles  arranged 
in  order  of  the  page  numbers.  One  signature  is 
then  taken  in  order  from  the  top  of  each  pile  to 
form  the  individual  book.  This  process  is  called 
gathering.  In  some  of  the  larger  binderies  gathering 
is  done  by  machines,  but  where  these  are  not  used 
the  work  is  done  by  hand,  the  signatures  of  each 
complete  book  being  collected  in  order  from  one 
pile  after  another. 

After  the  collection  of  signatures  is  made,  they 
are  examined  to  see  that  no  error  has  occurred  in 
the  order  of  pages  and  that  no  signature  is  missing. 
This  is  collating. 

When  the  signatures  have  been  gathered  and  col- 
lated they  must  be  sewed  together.  In  the  larger 
binderies  this  sewing  is  done  by  machines,  but  in 
smaller  binderies  the  sewing  is  done  by  hand. 

The  remaining  processes  TlXQ  fonvarding  z.v^A  fin- 
ishing. Forwarding  includes  trimming  the  edges  of 
the  leaves;  rounding  the  back  previous  to  putting 
the  book  into  its  cover,  i^a<r/t;>/^oryM>///>/^'- it  all  along 
each  side  of  this  rounded  back  to  allow  for  the  bend- 
ing of  the  cover,  re-enforcing  the  back  with  cloth 
and  paper  ;  and,  in  some  books,  putting  on  the  cloth 
head-bands  at  the  top  and  bottom  of  the  back. 
Forwarding  also  includes  the  making  of  covers 
and  fastening  them  on  the  books.  Covers  are  fast- 
ened to  books  commonly  by  one  of  two  methods; 
in  the  case  book  the  sewing  which  holds  the  signa- 
tures together  has  no  connection  with  the  cover ; 
in  the  laced  in  book  the  signatures  are  sewed  to 
pieces  of  twine  or  hands  across  the  back,  and  the 
ends  of  these  bands  are  fastened  to  the  cover  boards. 
The  latter  is,  as  will  be  noted,  the  most  durable,  but 
the  former  method,  being  cheaper,  is  employed  for 
ordinary  books. 


Technical  Terms  357 

Finishing  means  placing  the  title,  designs,  orna- 
mentation, etc.,  on  the  cover.  Sometimes  these  are 
stamped  by  machine  and  sometimes  tooled  by  hand. 

Many  other  details  of  book  binding  are  briefly 
described  in  the  following  glossary  of  technical  terms. 


TERMS   USED  IN  BOOK  BINDING 

Ail-along —  In  sewing  a  book,  when  the  thread  is 
passed  from  kettle-stitch  to  kettle-stitch,  or  from 
end  to  end  in  each  sheet,  it  is  sewed  ail-along. 

Antique — See  Blind  Tooling. 

Azicre'  Tools  —  Used  in  binding,  where  the  heavy 
and  wide  marks,  instead  of  being  a  solid  mass, 
are  made  with  horizontal  lines. 

Backing —  The  process  which  makes  the  back  of  the 
book  ready  to  set  into  the  cover.  It  may  be  done 
with  a  hammer,  the  book  being  held  by  clamps  ; 
or  by  placing  the  book  in  a  backing-and-rounding 
machine  operated  by  hand  or  by  other  power 
which  turns  over  the  back  edges  toward  the  sides 
of  the  book. 

Bands — The  cords  on  which  the  sheets  of  a  volume 
are  sewed.  When  "  sewed  flexible,"  the  bands 
show  on  the  back  of  the  book ;  when  bands  are 
let  in  the  back  by  sawing  grooves,  narrow  strips 
of  leather  are  glued  across  the  back  to  look  like 
raised  bands. 

Ba7id  Driver  and  Nippers  —  Too\%  used  in  for\vard- 
ing,  to  correct  irregularities  in  the  bands  of  flexi- 
ble backs. 

Bastard  Title —  The  brief  title  on  a  Teaf  preceding 
the  main  title  ;  sometimes  termed  the  half  title. 

Binder — A  temporary  cover  for  periodicals  and 
pamphlets,  usually  arranged  so  that  it  may  be 
taken  off  and  attached  to  subsequent  copies  of  a 
publication.  A  book-binder. 


358  Terms  Used  in 

Binder's  Waste — A  kind  of  paper  made  for  lining 

or  end  papers. 
Bindery  —  A  book-binding  establishment. 
Blank  Books — A   large  variety  of  books  which  are 
bound  with  blank  leaves,  or  leaves  having  ruled 
lines  and  little  or  no  printing  :  account   books, 
memorandum  books,  ledgers,  etc. 
Bleed —  When  the  margins  of  a  book  or  pad   of 
printed  sheets  have  been  trimmed  so  as  to  cut 
into  the  printing,  they  are  said  to  bleed. 
Blind  Tooling  or  Stamping  —  Impressions  of  finish- 
er's tools  or  book-dies  without  ink  or  gold  leaf. 
Sometimes  called  antique. 
Blocking  Press  —  A  stamping  press  for  impressing 

blocks  or  dies  on  covers. 
Boards  —  Applied  generally  to  many  kinds  of  heavy 
cardboard.    A  book  with  stiff  sides  covered  with 
paper  of  any  color  is  bound  in  paper  boards. 
Board  Papers —  The  part  of  the  end  papers  pasted 

on  the  board  covers. 
Bolt — The  uncut  fold  in  the  head,  fore  edge,  or  tail 

of  a  book  sheet. 
Book  Cloth  —  Used  for  covers;  is  made  by  special 

processes  and  in  many  grades  and  patterns. 
Book-marker  — A  slip  of  card,  paper,  ribbon,  or  other 
material  to  place  between  the  pages  of  a  book,  for 
a  reader's  or  owner's  convenience. 
Book  Plate  —  A  printed  label,  made  in  plain  or  elabo- 
rate design,  to  indicate  the  ownership  of  a  volume. 
Ex-libris. 
Bosses  —  Brasses  or  other  metal  ornaments  fastened 

upon  the  boards  of  books. 
Brochure  (pronounced  hroshur) — A  small  pamphlet 

having  the  sheets  simply  sewed  ;  a  booklet. 
Broken  Over—  When  plates  (illustrations  on  sepa- 
rate sheets  inserted  in  a  book)  are  turned  over 
and  folded  a  little  from  the  back  edge,  before 
they  are  put  into  place,  to  make  them  lay  flat 
and  turn  easily,  they  are  said  to  be  broken  over. 


Book   Binding  359 

Buckram— h.  kind  of  thick  cloth  finished  like  linen, 
possessing  good  wearing  quality. 

Bulk— The  thickness  of  a  book,  without  the  cover. 
Some  papers  bulk  more  than  others  for  a  given 
number  of  leaves — that  is,  make  a  thicker  book. 

Bundling — -Pressing  together  the  signatures  of  gath- 
ered books  and  tying  them  in  bundles,  to  make 
them  solid  as  possible,  and  for  convenience  in 
handling. 

Burnished  Edges — Those  which  have  been  gilded 
or  colored  and  polished  smoothly.  Burnished 
edges  of  a  book  may  be  dusted  and  kept  cleaner 
than  rough  or  ordinarily-trimmed  edges. 

Cattcels —  Leaves  containing  errors  which  are  to  be 
cut  out  and  replaced  with  corrected  pages. 

Cafs — Paper  coverings  used  to  protect  its  edges 
while  the  book  is  being  covered  and  finished. 
Also  the  leather  covering  of  head-bands. 

Case  —  The  cover  of  a  cloth-bound  book. 

Case  Binding —  When  the  cases  or  covers  are  made 
separately  and  afterward  fastened  on  the  backs  of 
the  books. 

Circuit  Edges —  Bibles  and  prayer-books  are  some- 
times bound  with  projecting  covers  turned  over 
to  protect  the  edges ;  divinity  edges. 

Clasp  —  A  hook  or  catch  for  fastening  the  covers 
of  a  book  together,  usually  at  the  fore  edge. 

Cloth  Boards—  Stiff  cloth  covers. 

Collating —  Examining  the  signatures  after  a  book 
is  gathered,  to  see  that  they  are  in  correct  order. 

Colophon — A  note,  inscription,  or  emblematic  device 
relating  to  the  printing  or  binding  of  a  book ;  old- 
time  term  for  the  printer's  imprint  at  the  end  of 
the  work. 

Contents,  Table  of —  See  p.  38. 

Corners  —  Pieces  of  leather  or  other  material  pasted 
upon  the  corners  of  a  book  in  half  binding. 


360  Terms  Used  in 

Cropped —  When  a  book  has  been  trimmed  down 

too  much. 
Crushed  Levant —  Levant  morocco  leather  vrith  the 

grain  crushed  down  to  give  a  smooth  surface. 
Deckle-edge —  See  p.  49. 
De  Luxe  Edition  — \  book  made  with  high-grade 

material  and  more  than  the  usual  care  and  expense. 

Dedication  —  An  address  prefixed  to  a  book  or  other 
literary  work,  inscribed  to  a  friend  or  patron  as  a 
mark  of  respect  or  affection. 

Dentelle — A  fine  tooled  border  resembling  lace-work. 

Divinity  Edges  —  Same  as  circuit  edges. 

Double  —  The  ornamented  inside  of  the  cover  of  a 
book,  made  with  tooled  leather,  silk,  or  other 
material.  Also  termed  doublure. 

Drop  Folio  —  A  page  number  at  the  bottom  of  a 

page. 
Dummy  —  Pages  of  a  book  or  other  composition 

made  up  to  show  the  general  form  and  style  of 

the  completed  work.    See  p.  56. 

Duodecimo— Sheti  folded  into  twelve  leaves  ;  1 2mo. 

See  p.  57. 
Edge-rolled —  When  the  edges  of  a  cover  are  lined 

or  ornamented,  blind  or  in  color,  with  a  roll,  or 

finishing  tool. 
Edition    Work — When    books  are  bound  in  large 

numbers,  as  distinguished  from  single   books  or 

jobbing. 
Embossed —  When  a  plate  is  stamped  upon  a  sheet 

or  cover  so  as  to  produce  a  raised  figure  or  design. 

End  Papers — The  paper  placed  at  the  front  and 
back  of  a  bound  book ;  one  sheet  is  pasted  to  the 
cover,  the  other  to  the  next  white  sheet,  unless 
it  is  specially  made  paper.  End  papers  are  often 
of  ornamental  patterns  and  special  or  significant 
designs.   The  fly-leaves. 


Book  Binding  361 

Extra  Binding — A  trade  term  for  books  sewed  and 
bound  by  hand  in  superior  manner. 

Extra  Cloth  —  Used  for  popular  bindings,  in  plain 
finish  and  a  variety  of  patterns  ;  the  cloth  is  well 
covered  with  color,  concealing  the  weave  and  giv- 
ing a  solid  color  effect. 

Fanfare  —  A  style  of  binding  in  which  there  is  great 
profusion  and  repetition  of  flowers,  foliage,  and 
other  small  ornaments. 

Fillet — A  cylindrical  instrument  upon  which  sim- 
ple lines  are  engraved,  used  in  finishing. 

Finishing — The  part  of  a  binder's  work  which 
consists  in  lettering  and  ornamenting  the  cover. 
The  workman  doing  this  is  z.  finisher. 

Flexible —  When  a  book  is  sewed  on  raised  bands 
and  the  sewing  thread  passed  entirely  around 
each  band.  A  term  applied  also  to  the  covers  of 
a  book,  as  for  example,  full  flexible  or  entirely 
limp ;  or  semi-flexible,  when  a  thin  board  or  heavy 
paper  is  used  in  making  the  cover. 

Fly-leaves  —  The  blank  white  leaves  at  the  begin- 
ning and  end  of  a  book. 

Foil — A  special  product,  neither  gold  leaf  nor  ink, 
used  in  stamping  book  covers. 

Folder  —  See  p.  76. 

Folio —  A  sheet  folded  into  two  leaves.  See  p.  77. 

Fore  Edge  —  The  side  of  a  book  opposite  the  back. 

Format  —  The  size,  shape,  proportions,  and  appear- 
ance of  a  book  or  other  work. 

Forwarding  —  The  operation  of  binding  after  the 
book  is  sewed,  until  it  is  put  in  its  cover  and 
ready  for  finishing. 

French  Finish  —  Bindings  having  upon  them  bands 
only,  with  no  tooHng  ;  clear  leather  simply  titled 
in  gilt. 

Front  Matter  —  Preliminary  matter.  See  p.  204. 


362  Terms  Used  in 

Full  Binding —  When  sides  and  back  of  a  book  are 
entirely  covered  with  leather. 

Full  Gill  —  When  the  edges  of  the  leaves  of  a  book 
are  gilded  on  head,  fore  edge,  and  tail. 

Gathering  —  Collecting  the  folded  sheets  of  a  book 
according  to  the  order  of  the  signatures.  See  p.  87. 

Goffered  Edges  —  An  indented  decorative  design  on 
the  edges  of  a  book  ;  an  old  fashion  in  book  bind- 
ing, applied  to  gilt  or  silvered  edges. 

Glair  — The  white  of  eggs,  beaten  up ;  used  as  a  size 
to  hold  gold  leaf  in  book  binding. 

Gilt —  Applied  to  ornamental  work  on  covers  and 
also  to  the  edges  of  a  book  ;  in  the  latter  case, 
chiefly  used  for  the  top. 

Guards —  Strips  of  paper  inserted  in  the  back  mar- 
gin of  a  book,  intended  for  pasting  plates  on, 
and  to  prevent  the  book  being  uneven  when 
closed  with  the  plates  inserted. 

Guarded  Signatures  —  Folded  sections  of  a  book 
which  have  strips  of  cambric  pasted  around  the 
outside  back  edge,  to  strengthen  the  paper  and 
binding ;  sometimes  done  on  the  first  and  last 
signatures  of  a  book  because  of  the  extra  strain 
on  these  sections. 

Guinea  Edge  —  Rolled  with  a  pattern  similar  to  the 
edge  of  an  old  guinea  coin. 

Half  Binding — When  a  book  is  covered  with  leather 
on  the  back  and  comers,  and  the  sides  covered 
with  cloth  or  paper :  half  morocco,  half  russia, 
half  calf,  etc. 

Half  Title  —  See  p.  95. 

Hand  Letters — Types  made  usually  of  brass,  so  that 
they  may  be  heated,  and  affixed  singly  to  handles, 
for  lettering  covers,  etc. 

Head  and  Tail — Top  and  bottom  of  a  book. 

Head-band — The  ornamental  pieces  of  silk  or  cotton 
at  top  and  bottom  of  the  back  of  a  book,  to  give 
finish. 


Book   Binding  363 

Hub  —  A  thick  band  on  the  back  of  a  blank  book. 
In  Boards  —  When  a  book  is  cut  after  the  boards 

are  in  place  to  form  the  sides,  it  is  cut  in  boards. 

When   cut  before  the  boards  are  affixed  it  is  out 

of  boards  with    projecting  covers.     Most  books 

are  bound  in  the  latter  manner. 
Inlay  —  A  panel  of  cloth,  paper,  or  leather  set  into 

a  book  cover  flush  with  the  surface. 
Inset — A  sheet  placed  inside  of  another,  both  being 

folded.   The  outer  sheet  is  an  outset. 
Jacket  —  The  paper  wrapper,  printed  or  unprinted, 

folded  around  a  new  book  to  protect  the  cover. 
Joints  —  The  part  of  the  cover  where  it  joins  the  back 

on  the  inside;   the  hinge. 
Keratol—  h.  waterproof  cloth  made  in  imitation  of 

leather  ;  sometimes  used  for  book  covers.  Similar 

to  leatherette,  buffinette,  etc. 
Kettle-stitch  —  The   stitch   made  at   the   head    and 

tail  of  a  book  ;  a  chain  stitch  ;  a  catch  stitch. 
Laced  In  —  When  the  cover  is  fastened  on  a  book 

by  means  of  the  bands  being  passed  through  holes 

in  the  boards,  they  are  laced  in. 

Law  Binding —  A  plain  style  of  leather  binding  used 
for  law  books.  Law  Calf —  Binding  in  calf  leather 
that  is  uncolored,  in  the  natural  state,  pale  brown. 

Leatherette  —  Cloth  or  paper  imitation  of  leather, 
sometimes  used  for  covers. 

Levant  Morocco  —  Morocco  leather  made  from  the 
skin  of  the  Levant  goat,  which  has  a  larger  grain 
than  Turkish  morocco.    See  Morocco. 

Limp  —  Leather  or  cloth  bindings  which  are  flexible 
and  bend  easily,  in  distinction  from  boards  or  stiff 
covers. 

Lining  Papers —  Colored  or  marbled  papers  inside 
the  covers  ;  end  papers. 

Make-up  —  The  plan  of  a  book  or  other  work,  show- 
ing the  order  of  pages,  engravings,  etc.    See  p.  1 47. 


364  Terms  Used  in 

Marbled  Calf —  Calfskin  made  to  resemble  marble 
by  chemical  treatment. 

Marbli7tg  —  A  process  of  decorating  sheets  of  paper 
and  edges  of  books  with  variegated  colors  in  irreg- 
ular patterns. 

Mill-hoard — A  thick,  very  heavy  card,  used  for  book 
covers. 

Mitred  —  When  the  lines  of  a  design  meet  at  a  right 
angle  without  over-running  each  other;  joints  of 
leather  or  cloth  at  an  angle  of  45  degrees,  as  when 
turned  over  on  the  inside  of  the  covers. 

Morocco —  A  fine  leather  prepared  commonly  from 
goat-skin,  but  an  inferior  kind  is  made  of  sheep- 
skin, and  tanned  with  sumac,  and  dyed  in  various 
colors ;  said  to  have  been  first  made  by  the  Moors. 
Genuine  morocco  makes  the  most  durable  bind- 
ing for  books. 

Octavo — A  sheet  folded  into  eight  leaves.  See  p.  165. 

Out  of  Boards  —  See  In  Boards. 

Out  Page  —  The  first  or  signature  page  of  a  sheet. 

Outset —  See  Inset. 

Oversheets  —  Signatures  or  sheets  left  over  after 
complete  copies  are  gathered  and  bound. 

Paste-down  —  The  part  of  the  fly-leaf  sheet  that  is 
pasted  on  to  the  cover  of  a  book. 

Pieced — When  space  between  bands,  where  letter- 
ing or  title  is  placed,  has  a  piece  of  leather  differ- 
ent from  the  back,  it  is  said  to  be  pieced  or  titled. 

Plate —  Any  full-page  illustration  printed  on  paper 
different  than  the  book  is  termed  a  plate. 

Points — Small  holes  made  in  the  sheet  when  printed, 
as  guides  for  registering  and  folding.   See  p.  195. 

Publisher''s  Binding —  Commonly  understood  as  or- 
dinary cloth  binding. 

Quarter  Binding —  Leather  or  cloth  back  with  paper 
board  sides. 

Quarto— A.  sheet  folded  into  four  leaves.  See  p.  2  ^6. 


Book   Binding  365 

Recto —  The  right-hand  page  of  a  book. 

Register  —  The  ribbon  placed  in  a  book  as  a  marker. 
A  list  of  signatures  at  the  end  of  early-printed 
books  for  use  of  the  binder.   See  p.  242. 

Roll  —  A  small  wheel  attached  to  a  handle,  the  edge 
of  the  wheel  having  a  decorative  pattern.  It  is 
used  for  ornamenting  book  covers. 

Rounding —  See  Backing. 

Running  Head  or  Title  —  The  title  of  a  book  or  sub- 
ject at  the  top  of  the  page  and  repeated  from  page 
to  page. 

Russia  Leather  — Used  for  book  bindings.  The  gen- 
uine leather  is  made  in  Russia,  and  is  commonly 
brownish  red  in  color,  although  it  is  sometimes 
made  in  black,  dark  blue,  and  green.  An  imitation 
of  this,  known  as  American  russia  or  imitation 
russia,  is  made  of  cowhide,  a  thick,  strong  leather 
with  a  slight  grain,  so  closely  resembling  the  gen- 
uine that  the  difference  can  be  detected  only  by 
the  characteristic  odor  of  the  Russian  product. 
The  latter  is  said  to  be  tanned  with  willow  bark, 
dyed  with  sandal  wood,  and  soaked  with  birch  oil. 

Saddle-stitch  — See  p.  258. 

Sawed  In  — When  the  signatures  of  a  book  are  ready 
for  sewing,  a  number  of  slight  grooves  are  sawed 
across  the  back  ;  into  these  grooves  are  placed 
the  cords  on  which  the  sewing  threads  are  turned. 

Section  —  The  leaves  that  are  folded  together  to 
make  one  piece  for  gathering ;  it  may  be  a  single 
folded  sheet,  or  two  sheets,  one  of  which  is  set  into 
the  other.   A  signature. 

Set-off —  A  transfer  of  color  to  the  opposite  page. 
See  p.  166. 

Shelf-back — The  back  of  the  book,  showing  the 
title,  bands,  decorations,  etc. 

Signature — See  p.  269. 

Sixteenmo  —  A  sheet  folded  into  sixteen  leaves  ; 
i6mo. 


366 


Terms  Used  in 


Slips — The  pieces  of  twine  that  project  from  the 

back  of  a  sewed  but  uncovered  book.    They  can 

be  slipped  up  or  down,  and  are  fastened  to  the 

covers. 
Smashing — Pressing  together  folded  signatures  so 

that  the  folds  will  lay  flat.    This  may  be  done  with 

a  flat-headed  hammer  or  mallet,  or  on  a  smashing 

machine.    See  Bundling. 
Spring  Back  —  A  cover  that  is  not  fastened  entirely 

on  the  back  of  the  book,  but  will  show  a  hollow 

space  when   the  book   is  opened ;  in  distinction 

from  tight  back. 
Start — When  the  leaves  of  a  bound  book  break 

away  from  the  sewing  threads,  they  are  said  to 

start. 
Super — A  cotton  cloth  resembling  cheesecloth,  glued 

and  starched,  and  glued  to  the  back  of  the  sewed 

signatures,  to  hold  the  book  and  cover  together. 
Tapes —  Short  strips  of  tape  or  cloth  placed  across 

the  back  of  a  book  and  fastened  to  the  boards  to 

strengthen  the  binding. 
T.E.G.  or  t.eg.  —  Top  edge  gilt. 
Three  Quarter  Binding — Leather  back  and  corners, 

with  paper  or  cloth  sides. 
Thumb  Index,  Thumb  Guides —  The  notches  ranged 

in  order  down  the  fore  edge  of  dictionaries  and 

other  reference  books. 
Tight  Back  —  When  the  cover  of  a  book  is  fastened 

solidly  to  the  back,  and  does  not  open  out  hollow 

when  the  book  is  opened. 
Tipped  On  —When  a  print  or  other  sheet  is  mounted 

on  a  larger  sheet  by  simply  pasting  down  one  edge. 

The  French  word  volant  is  sometimes  used. 
Title — The  space  between  the  bands  on  the  back 

of  a  book,  upon  which  the  title  is  lettered. 
Tooling — To  make  designs  or  ornaments  on  a  book 

cover  by  means  of  small  hand  tools,  either  with 

gold  or  colors,  or  plain.    See  Blind  Tooling. 


Book   Binding  367 

Top  C<roer —  The  front  cover  of  a  book. 

Uncut  —  When  the  edges  of  a  book  have  not  been 
trimmed.  When  the  bolts  of  an  uncut  book  have 
not  been  cut,  it  is  unopened. 

Verso —  The  left-hand  page  of  a  book  ;  the  back  or 
reverse  side  of  the  cover. 

Whip-stitchhig —  When  the  leaves  of  a  book  have 
no  fold  at  the  back,  they  are  sewed  together  in 
sections,  the  stitches  on  the  back  of  each  section 
being  close  together  and  extended  from  top  to 
bottom.  This  is  called  whip-stitching.  The  sec- 
tions are  then  sewed  together  like  the  sections  of 
a  book  having  folded  leaves. 

White  Edges — Simply  cut,  without  being  gilded  or 
colored. 

Wired —  When  the  sheets  of  a  pamphlet  are  fast- 
ened with  wire  stitches  or  staples.  This  is  done 
on  wire-stitching  machines.  See  p.  347. 


FOURTEEN  DAY  USE 

lETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 


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